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“Then how is it that you still don’t get it?” (Mark 8.21, Passion Translation)

Jesus could be harsh(?) or at least frustrated with the disciples. He wants them to learn to think. To put 2 and 2 together. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees” (Mark 8.15). He could have just said “Beware of the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees,” but he didn’t.

They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.” (Mark 8.16, NIV)

When they were worried about not enough bread (what else could he be talking about?!), he challenged them to think.

Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” “Twelve,” they replied. “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” (Mark 8.17 – 20, NIV)

Jesus wasn’t direct with his original statement about the leaven of the Pharisees, and he didn’t directly explain why he couldn’t have been talking about their forgetting bread. He wanted them to figure it out.

I’m having the same problem with a bright young man I’m mentoring in mathematics. Outside of rote procedures, he’s not yet able to put 2 and 2 together without my help. I need to give him room to work it out.

Back to disciple-making, I need not be afraid to challenge people to think for themselves. To learn. To grow in understanding through hard work! 

I pray that I won’t be dense either. Figure out what Jesus wants me to know. His provision for me. And his strategy for reaching the world. Don’t get stuck in old paradigms. For example, the disciples respected the Pharisees; they hadn’t yet developed Jesus’ perspective on their hypocrisy so it was harder for them to understand Jesus’ criticism.

Learning to think is hard work!

1  My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2  turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—
3  indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
4  and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5  then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2.1 – 5, NIV, emphasis mine)

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I was talking with one of the young men I’m mentoring, Josh, who serves with a Christian organization specializing in discipling high school students. Josh had three experiences this summer, all with the same lesson: people can do more than you think.

In a local church, he was running an evening vacation bible school for high schoolers. To do that, he involved the next age group up, the young adults 18 – 25 to lead the small groups. The pastor was astounded that the young adults did such a good job. “We’ve never given them this much responsibility.”

Josh had a similar experience in Haiti, where he involved participants in a seminar he was leading to develop creative ways to explain the gospel. Again, the local pastors were astounded at what the “ordinary” people were able to do. One pastor said, “I never thought about letting them use their creativity.”

Finally, in Puerto Rico this summer there were demonstrations resulting in the resignation of the governor about the time Josh was there. I don’t know much about it, but according to Josh, the local pastors he was dealing with attributed the demonstrations to young people, who “had to leave the church to find their voice. We in the church didn’t give them a voice.”

I’m reminded of a story told by a friend of mine in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Two AA members went to call on a first-time visitor. The new guy asked one of the members, “How long have you been sober?” He replied, “23 years.” Then he asked the other one the same question: “two weeks.” The new guy turned to the 2-week guy and said, “Tell me how you did it.”

The story haunts me because we in the church would almost never send out a 2-week guy! But Jesus did. Matthew, the tax collector, gave a dinner party and invited all his friends on day 1 (Luke 5.27 – 32); the woman at the well in John 4 invited her whole village to hear Jesus (John 4.27 – 30). Both of these “bad” people started missional activity right away.

I believe in training as much as or more than anyone! On the other hand, people don’t need boatloads of training to be engaged. In fact, Jesus didn’t wait until the disciples were fully trained when he sent them out in Luke 10. The sending was part of the training.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. (Luke 10.1 – 3, NIV)

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. (Mark 5.18 – 20, NIV)

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We’re talking about how churches can transform members into disciples, and yesterday we mentioned the analogy by Ron Bennett about golf clubs. It takes a variety of clubs to get the ball in the hole. The driver (compare the Sunday morning large gathering) is only one. Then we have the long irons (mid-sized groups such as Sunday School classes), short irons (small groups), and the putter (one-to-one). 

Today, let’s talk about small groups. Most churches have some kind of small group program available with varying degrees of success, both in getting folks to participate and in what happens when they do.

A content-rich definition of effective small groups was shared with me years ago by one of my Navigator mentors, the late Dick Miller.

We believe in small groups in which people can grow into Christ-likeness and spiritual maturity through time and exposure to the Word of God and the people of God in a grace-filled environment of accountability, transparency, and vulnerability.

I said it was content-rich! According to Dick, growth in Christ-likeness and spiritual maturity (can we say “discipleship”?) occurs through:

• Exposure to God’s Word
• Exposure to God’s people
• Environments of grace featuring
  • Accountability: allowing you to check on me
  • Transparency: revealing my issues
  • Vulnerability: allowing you to speak into my issues

If Dick is right, groups that are purely social, as important as they are, will be less effective. In addition, groups that are primarily knowledge-based Bible study with no personal application and without transparent, vulnerable interaction will be less effective, also.

In short, small groups don’t make disciples any more than any other program. Small groups is a method, and an important method, to be sure. But people make disciples, and the right kind of small group can help. I have a list of disciple-making tools here. (Scroll down…)

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3.13, NIV)

Knowledge puffs up while love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8.1, NIV)

I was going to post something about small groups today, but let’s hold that until tomorrow. Today June and I are celebrating our 51st, count ’em, 51!, anniversary. We are blessed.

⁹  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
¹¹  Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
¹²  Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4.9 – 12, NIV)

Relish life with the spouse you love…Each day is God’s gift…Make the most of each one! (Ecclesiastes 9.9, MSG)

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I wrote yesterday that a new contact in Cameroon, a young pastor, has observed that churches don’t seem to want to transform members into disciples.

Maybe churches want to make disciples, but they don’t know how. 

The problem is that most churches put most of their efforts into the weekly worship service. And whether the emphasis is Bible teaching, music, or the Eucharist, it’s hard to train people in a large group environment. About as hard as it is to produce musicians only by having them attend concerts. 

Navigator Ron Bennett, in his excellent book Intentional Disciplemaking, uses a golf analogy. Ron says that it takes a variety of clubs to get the ball in the hole. The driver (compare the Sunday morning large gathering) is only one. Then we have the long irons (mid-sized groups such as Sunday School classes), short irons (small groups), and the putter (one-to-one). 

It helps if we are clear about what we want each type of group to do. For example, I believe the best use of Sunday School, especially when the adult classes are composed of, say, 20 – 70 people, is community. Sure, instruction can occur–I taught Sunday School for years. But an important role of the Sunday School in a large church is to provide a smaller environment where people can practice the “one-anothers” of scripture.

The right kind of small groups plays a key role in “transforming members into disciples,” and I’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13.34, NIV)

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10.24, 25, NIV, often used to promote church attendance, but it’s hard to “spur one another on…” and “encourage one another” during the morning service! That has to be done at another time.)

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I’ve connected with a young pastor in Cameroon via LinkedIn. I don’t know much about him yet except he actually wants to make disciples! He wrote:

I am about to start a discipleship ministry “back to the word of God ministry” only to equipped Christians but specially leaders. Please I want to see how we can work together for the glory of God. The church don’t [sic] want to transform members to disciples. [emphasis mine, actual words are his in the best English that he, as a native French speaker, can muster]

Churches don’t want to transform members into disciples.

It’s a chilling observation. Why does he see things this way? Here’s one possibility: churches spend most of their time and energy on one tool: the Sunday morning service. And they measure effectiveness by how many come. I read a report recently where a pastor in India is quoted as saying, “We’re running 2,000 right now, and I think we can be to 3,000 by the end of the year!” 

I don’t know if those are the words the Indian pastor used or that’s how the American telling the story heard it. Either way, someone appears to be interested only in how many come. This is unfortunate. As one wise pastor told me years ago, “We’re good at measuring how many come. I wish we could count how many go!” 

But we can’t…or don’t count how many go, and it appears, as the young pastor from Cameroon concluded, “Churches don’t want to transform members into disciples.”

I think he’s wrong. Churches really want to make disciples…they just don’t know how. More on that tomorrow.

Go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28.19)

You became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere,…  (1 Thessalonians 1.7, 8, ESV)

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As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3.16, 17, NIV)

A pastor friend, commenting on this passage, observed that the Father was “well pleased” with the Son, at the beginning of his ministry, before Jesus had done anything. His takeaway was that God loves Jesus (and by extension, us) for who he was, not based on performance. There’s truth in that, and that’s a good application.

But I just heard (on Labor Day Sunday!) another pastor make a different application. The Father was well-pleased with Jesus before his ministry started, but not before he had done anything. He had been a carpenter:

Isn’t this the carpenter? (Mark 6.3, NIV)

So we might conclude that the Father was pleased with Jesus’ work, his labor, and that would certainly be true of us.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3.23, 24, NIV)

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Maybe I’ll learn someday…

We had new neighbors move in on August 1, and as of August 26, I hadn’t even seen them, much less met them. I kept watching for them, trying to catch them outside, but nothing.

Finally(!) I prayed something like, “Lord, I’m tired of never seeing these people, please arrange a meeting.” That very evening, I was walking the dog (a great way to see neighbors if they’re out), and sure enough, here came the neighbor taking his garbage to the street.

After introducing myself and politely reminding him it wasn’t good to have your garbage on the street the night before–bears are tanking up this time of year–we had a nice first visit.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. (John 16.24, NIV)

You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4.2, NKJV)

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I’m glad we honor laborers in this country…all laborers. As I’ve written before, work is a good thing. People showing up every day, carrying out their duties, is a real service to all of us. I love what Dr. Louis Profeta wrote a couple years ago in which he was trying to make a case to fellow medical professionals that all work is important and all workers are important:

We are just one profession out of countless others that keep our world moving. We are no more heroes than the social worker visiting homes in the projects, the farmer up at 4 to feed the cattle, the ironworker strapped to a beam on the 50th floor. We are no more a hero than the single mom working overnight as a custodian, trying to feed her kids. We are no more heroic than countless others who work in jobs they perhaps hate in order to care for and support the people they love. (You can read the entire article here.)

Martin Luther King, Jr., had the same sentiment:

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

We “commissioned” people at church yesterday: commissioned them to do their jobs–all kinds of jobs–and to remember as I’ve written before, that they serve by their work, they serve at their work, and they advance the Kingdom from their work.

I was privileged to take part, and I pointed out a few important Bible characters who had “regular” jobs. As our pastor says from time to time, “These stories didn’t happen in church! They happened out in the real world.”

• Noah: shipbuilder!
• Abraham, Isaac, Jacob: herdsmen (in Colorado: ranchers!)
• Joseph and Daniel: prime ministers of foreign countries
• Joshua: military general
• Deborah: federal judge (Judges 4.4)
• Boaz, great-grandfather of King David: a farmer (read Ruth)
• David: military man, king, poet, musician
• Amos: a tree surgeon! (Amos 7.14)
• Joseph and Jesus: carpenters (Matthew 13.55, Mark 6.3)
• First worshippers of Jesus: wise men (astronomers?) (Matthew 2)
• First documented Gentile convert: a Roman centurion (Acts 10)
• First convert in Greece: Lydia: a merchant (Acts 16)
• Priscilla and Aquilla: made portable housing (Acts 18)

The shepherds in Luke 2 were working when the angels appeared to them, and they returned to work after visiting the manger.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. (Genesis 2.15, NIV)

Six days you shall labor and do all your work. (Exodus 20.9, NIV)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3.23, 24, NIV)

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I wrote yesterday about God having to send Saul of Tarsus into the mix because the original 11 apostles didn’t seem to be moving toward “all the world.” They were stuck in their Jewishness.

God had to speak to Peter through a vision and emissaries from a Roman Centurion to get his attention, as recorded in Acts 10. And, when you think about it, Peter’s reluctance both to interact with Gentiles and to eat “unclean food” is hard to understand.

And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” (Acts 10.13 – 15, ESV)

Much earlier, Jesus, in Peter’s presence, was clear:

And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) (Mark 7.18, 19, ESV)

Mark’s commentary, “Thus he declared all foods clean,” was apparently lost on Peter the first time he heard it.

I’ve written at least twice before on how easy it is to miss things. There may be things I just don’t know about or I may be sucked into the error of my culture. In this case, Jesus articulated the teaching directly to Peter, and he still missed it (in Mark 7).

For example, which part of “Love your neighbor as yourself” do I not understand?

“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)