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A couple of days ago I wrote about “instant participation, instant success,” which was stimulated by a conversation with my friend Ray in another state. A few days after our conversation, Ray sent me this story:

This morning we had lunch after church, and I sat next to a brand new believer (Jan) and she told me that she just started meeting with the wife (Rosana) of one of the guys I disciple.  So, Jan mentioned that Rosana was helping her to memorize a verse from the Bible.  Jan said that memorizing the verse was work, but she was sticking with it.  So, I enthusiastically said, “That’s great!” and I explained your participation/success principle and shared the archery example.  She has one verse now: instant participation, instant success!

It reminds me of when I started working with Len, my physical therapist, taking him through Every Man a Warrior. I told him scripture memory was an important part of it. He replied, “I can’t memorize too well.” My response? “Of course you can!” I reminded him that he didn’t get through engineering school and then physical therapy training because he couldn’t memorize. And he’s doing fine: instant participation, instant success.

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119.11, NIV)

It is written… (Jesus, Matthew 4.4, 7, 10)

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My friend Ray shared with me the epoxy principle of disciple-making which he learned from our friend Rick. 

Epoxies are created through reacting an epoxy resin and a hardener.

That is, it takes two different chemicals to make epoxy. The hardener without the epoxy resin won’t do the job. Some of us are “hardeners:” trained and experienced disciple-makers. We know how to help someone mature in their walk with God until they are helping others do the same. But we are useless without someone to build into! 

Whenever I teach disciple-making, the inevitable question is, “Where do you find people to disciple?” Answer, God has to bring them to you! I’m always looking for the people. I pray for “men of valor whose hearts God has touched.” (1 Samuel 10.26) And when God brings one, the “resin,” I have the privilege of becoming his “hardener”!

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles… (Luke 6.12, 13, ESV)

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach… (Mark 3.13, 14, ESV)

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2.1, 2)

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Jim Furyk shot a record-breaking 58 on Sunday, August 7, 2016. Turns out his swing wasn’t doing well, especially the driver. After the third round, he went to the range, called his dad (his swing coach) and worked on shortening his backswing which had gotten too long. The result was that he hit all fairways but one and all greens in regulation. 27 on the front nine and enough birdies on the back for the 58. This statement is telling:

Less than 24 hours earlier, Furyk was posted up on the practice range trying to find his swing in between phone calls with his father. Eighteen holes later he found his swing and entered the record books in the process. 

“It’s kind of a reminder no matter how bad you feel with your swing you’re never that far away,” Furyk said, “or no matter how good you feel you’re probably not that far away from playing poorly, as well,” 

Life is daily and takes constant vigilance. If you’re down, Jesus is “only a prayer away.” “He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1.9) And, “Let him that thinks he stand, take heed, lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10.12)

Training is daily. I often post 1 Timothy 4.7, “Train yourself for godliness,” but here’s another one:

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (1 Corinthians 9.25, NIV, emphasis mine\)

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I was talking with my friend Ray this morning about the fact that some discipleship materials seem too complex. Not for “ordinary” people. We believe beginning discipleship, at least, should be accessible and reproducible.

I recalled a training method I heard about in high school: “instant participation, instant success.” For example, to teach archery, you would put a bow and arrow into someone’s hand and put the target a short distance away so that they hit the bull’s eye on the first try. Instant participation, instant success.

When we teach our children to drive (when they’re of age!), we take them to a parking lot first, and they drive. Then we gradually put them in different situations. Instant participation, instant success.

What about someone starting an exercise program? They may be 100 pounds overweight. Can you walk to the corner and back? Instant participation, instant success. Pretty soon, they’re walking a mile, then two, and they’ve lost weight.

We don’t need to make discipleship hard. Can we spend a few minutes each day reading the Bible? Let’s start there, and let’s mark as we read and listen for what God might be saying to us. Instant participation, instant success. We’ll grow in our knowledge of God and His word. We’ll grow in our ability to put it into practice. We’ll grow in our ability to share the word with others as well as help others be in the word for themselves, too.

Here are some examples of accessible, reproducible discipleship tools:

• Growing Strong in God’s Family
• Growing in Christ
• Every Man a Warrior
• High Quest (for men) and Women of Purpose

Train yourself to be godly. (1 Timothy 4.7, NIV)

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4.4, NIV)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3.16, ESV)

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My son David frequently sends me sports stories that will “preach.” I don’t follow the NBA this time of year, but he sent me a nice article on how the Milwaukee Bucks are training one of their players, especially, to shoot better 3-point shots. In the following paragraph, Sullivan is the shooting coach and Antetokounmpo is the player.

Together, Sullivan and Antetokounmpo have spent hours in the gym nipping and tucking Antetokounmpo’s shot. The Bucks call their personalized exercises “vitamins” because they “take them daily.” Antetokounmpo’s vitamins include a heavy dosage of shooting.

I like the idea of calling daily exercise and training “vitamins” because they “take them daily.” By the way, as of today the Bucks have the best record in the NBA. Those daily “vitamins” must be working!

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.  For those who find me find life and receive favor from the LORD. (Proverbs 8.34, 35, NIV, emphasis mine)

Train yourself to be godly. (1 Timothy 4.7b, NIV, emphasis mine)

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I’m almost afraid to write this for fear that someone will be offended at what they might see as an improper approach to scripture. But I agree with author Ed Cyzewski, who wrote in his newsletter:

I wrote A Christian Survival Guide after going through a bit of a faith crisis and deconstruction/reconstruction. [Bob’s note: I have not read this book.]

I watched someone quite close to me lose her faith over a series of debatable Bible teachings that were presented as black and white, take it or leave it.

My premise for the book was that folks needed to know that there was a whole range of belief within the Christian faith.

Before dropping your faith because of some [specific] theology, consider that there are many other traditions that can be constructive, life-giving, and (wait for it…) “biblical.”

He went on to say, “I entered my 20’s trying to become an expert in Bible study, and I’m departing my 30’s trying to be still and quiet before a loving God.”

I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been around people who obsessed over every detail but seemed to fall short putting any of it into practice. They remind me of the “religion scholars and leaders” who assembled with the Chief Priest to condemn Jesus to death (see Matthew 27.57, 59). They not only found him guilty, an inevitable decision since they didn’t accept his identity as the Messiah, they also resorted to violence and mockery: “They were spitting in his face and banging him around. They jeered as they slapped him: “Prophesy, Messiah: Who hit you that time?” (Matthew 27.67, 68, MSG)

In our day, some of the most virulent “Christian” material you will read is by people denouncing the beliefs of fellow believers, sometimes over technicalities or, as Ed wrote, debatable issues.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1.22, NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13.34, 35, NIV)

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17.3, NIV)

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Flying home, Houston to Denver, from a business trip years ago, I was sitting next to a young guy who was having what can only be described as a hissy fit over our flight’s delayed takeoff. He was going to miss his connection for Aspen that night. He fussed, he cussed, he carried on to no end. Finally, I turned to him and said, “My friend, you’ll get to Denver tonight, you’ll stay overnight in a hotel, and you’ll be on the first flight to Aspen tomorrow morning. You’ll likely be at the ski slopes by the time they open. It’s really not worth a cardiac over something we can do nothing about.”

It’s back to indifference that I wrote about at length. Can we be indifferent to things that impact our schedule over which we have no control?

On a mission trip to India in 2014, I watched in amazement as our host, a pastor who had a lot on his plate that week from taking care of our mission team to planning and executing a major multi-church, multi-national gathering. 30-mile road trips sometimes took more than three hours. Yet he never flapped. My takeaway was, “Things take as long as they take.” 

Sometimes when I’m running an errand, for example, I want things to take less time than they take! There’s that internal tension, purely self-induced. I need a good dose of “things take as long as they take.” A holy indifference to time.

Jesus had that perspective. Many of his recorded encounters were unplanned, while he was on his way. The end of Luke 18, into Luke 19, he’s on his way to Jerusalem—a very important trip! But he stopped twice, once for the blind man and then for Zacchaeus.

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”…
As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”… And Jesus stopped…
And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” (Selected verses from Luke 18.31 – 19.10)

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I was meditating on Jesus’ arrest as recorded in Matthew 26.47 – 56 as well as Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. All four gospels tell how one of the disciples swung a sword and cut off the servant of the high priest’s ear. Only John identifies Peter as the assailant and gives the name of the victim as Malchus. Only Luke records that Jesus healed him:

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22.50, 51, ESV)

So here’s a trivia question: what was Jesus’ last miracle before the crucifixion? Answer, healing Malchus’ ear. A more interesting question is, what happened to Malchus?

Jesus, once more, provides evidence of his identity, his power, and his compassion. There would have been a lot of confusion. It was night. There was a large crowd of men with clubs and swords. Not everyone would have even seen Peter’s attack. But Malchus knew! He was injured and he was healed.

People see what they want to see. What did Malchus see, and how did he respond? Did he continue to be loyal to his boss and the mob he was with? Or did he have second thoughts and one day become a believer? Scriptures don’t say.  Scriptures are clear that people have options and react in different ways. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead: many believed in him and the religious leaders still wanted to kill Jesus and Lazarus!

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. (John 12.9 – 11, ESV)

As we’ve observed before, Jesus is always giving people a chance to believe. He’s showing compassion and doing good even when his own life is in danger. And the results are never guaranteed. We don’t know if Malchus believed or not. And we don’t know how people will respond to our attempts at compassion. Jesus promised:

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. (Matthew 10.24, 25, ESV)

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I’ve read Matthew 21.1 – 11, the Triumphal Entry, twice this week, and I’m puzzling over the lessons to be learned. Obviously, it’s a fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy–Matthew says so:

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” (Matthew 21.4, 5, ESV)

But on a more human and immediate level, something else is going on. Jesus had already told his disciples three times(!) that he was going to Jerusalem to die:

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” (Matthew 20.17 – 19, ESV)

But now he rides into Jerusalem accompanied by a great crowd:

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21.8 – 11, ESV)

There could have been a temptation to be distracted. If it were me, I’d feel pretty special at a parade in my honor. But Jesus, just as he ignored the crowds who wanted to make him king after he fed them (John 6), also ignores these crowds and goes straight to the temple and irritates the religious leaders by throwing out “all who bought and sold in the temple.” (Matthew 21.12). And it’s highly likely that these crowds were among those clamoring for his crucifixion just a few days later:

Pilate asked them, “Then what would you have me to do with Jesus who is called the Anointed One?” They all shouted back, “Crucify him!” “Why?” Pilate asked. “What has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting out, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27.22, 23, Passion Translation)

One can be thrown off track as easily by success and acclamation as by failure and rejection. Jesus stayed on mission. Can we do the same?

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, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1.27 – 30, ESV)

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For some reason I have been really exercised about the college admission scandal story that broke this week. Maybe it’s because one of the alleged participants, Lori Loughlin, plays the wholesome Abigail Stanton on When Calls the Heart, a Hallmark series we watch with our granddaughter every week. (We’re only in season 4; season 5 has aired, and season 6 was underway.)

Another reason I’m drawn to the story is that I can’t imagine anything less worth cheating for than trying to get into an elite college. As a proud graduate of a lowly state school (Clemson!), I think I’ve done OK in life. Malcolm Gladwell wrote in David and Goliath (I think) that some people get into, say, Harvard, and do poorly when they would have done just fine at a “regular” institution. Jason Gay makes this point nicely in the Wall Street Journal (Thursday, March 14): “None of this nonsense is worth it. College is college–some schools have more to offer than others, but in your life, you’re going to meet plenty of useless dingbats who went to the most distinguished colleges in the country. You’ll also encounter wizards who barely went to school at all.”

I hesitated to write about it, not wanting to “pile on” people who got caught doing something most of us couldn’t have even been tempted toward because we don’t have the means. But that’s the issue for all of us, isn’t it? Giving into temptation. Maybe this one doesn’t apply, but others do. Apparently, the case broke when someone who was guilty of securities fraud had also participated in this illegal scheme. Which came first?

Jason Gay also wrote, “Not everyone cheats. Not everyone cuts corners. There isn’t a diploma in the world that’s more valuable than your integrity–and you can’t buy your integrity back.”

And some college admissions bribery is legal: giving millions to your Alma Mater so your kid can be accepted. Who is more guilty? The wealthy parent who gives the bribe donation, or the school who alters its standards to let their kid in? Are there institutions who can stand up and say, “Slots in our school can’t be bought!”

For us as believers, scripture is clear:

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26.41, NKJV)

These are all warning markers—DANGER!—in our history books, written down so that we don’t repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence. (1 Corinthians 10.11, 12, MSG)