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Discipleship [2] Comments
”Stay off the grass!” “Caution – wet paint!” ”Stay off the wet cement!” “Stay off dunes!” (I did see a few footprints just beyond the sign.) They are all warnings that something is being restored and therefore protected. Someone has put and/or is putting a lot of work into the restoration process and would like others to respect that work and allow the restoration to be completed.
I’m thinking of another place for a sign. I’d like to hang it around the neck of people who are young in their faith. It might say – “Soul restoration” or “Faith restoration” with the added plea, “please do not harm?”
A young lady who is recently discovering what it means to have faith in Jesus is experiencing tremendous financial and emotional strain which of course is causing a strain on her faith. Like most of us, some of the issues she faces are the result of poor choices. It’s just that the timing of the consequences is hard on the restoration of her faith. I believe it is faith that will get her through and will restore the broken places in her life but I wish her faith had opportunity to be more firmly established before she was hit with so much.
One of the challenges of the Church is to restore people so that they can truly live. I like this statement in “The Externally Focused Church” by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson: “The church is a place of rehabilitation, not convalescence. It is not a hospice that prepares people to die; it is a rehab center to prepare people to live.”
I believe there is an enemy who tries to destroy faith – I want to put a sign, in his language, on people who are new to faith that says, “Soul restoration – stay away.” Perhaps, however, it would be more like a magnet and would attract his attention. Just as I saw footprints near the “stay off the dunes” sign, there will always be evidence that the enemy is at work in the lives of new believers.
Instead of posting a sign, we will need to stand along side our friends, pray and walk with them until they are strong enough to walk with others.
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We are taking some time off - celebrating 40 years of marriage – We left Sunday afternoon. We have traveled much further than we did 40 years ago. We are looking forward to some time to relax, read, enjoy the sound of the waves and get some rest. I was reflecting on the trip from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Fort Walton Beach, Florida and decided it was a good trip. Below is just a little good news/bad news related to the trip.
- Good news – vacation began Sunday
- Bad news – we started much later than we (I) was hoping
- Good news – we made it through Indianapolis just in time for the Indy 500 to end – we beat the traffic
- Good news – we had packed deli wraps to eat on the way (one of the reasons for the delayed start) – no delays stopping for food
- Good news – made great time -
- Bad news – traffic stopped on I-65 around mile marker 109 in Tennessee – at mile marker 106 there was a sign that there was an accident at mile-marker 103. An hour later we finally passed the accident site. A semi on its side; a broken guard rail; a child’s saftey seat in the middle of the road. No sign of emergency vehicle – we assume they had already gone.
- So-so news – our lodging just south of Nashville was an older facility than expected – room seemed clean but came with a strange odor. Breakfast the next morning was provided by the hotel. There was a lady serving what is usually a self-serve breakfast – she was more of a guardian than a server – I think assuring that no one took too much food.
- Good news – the rest of the trip was uneventful – long, but no accidents and punctuated periodically with showers
- Good news – we arrived safely in Fort Walton Beach, Florida – much more thankful than we had been if we hadn’t seen the accident on Sunday evening
- Good news – we found our lodging as promised and settled in – took a walk on the beach – found a Thai restaurant for dinner (good food) and Baskin-Robbins for a scoop of ice-cream
We were reminded earlier that Jesus often took time away and I’m sure his escapes were not always uneventful. The unplanned events make the trip memorable. They become the subject of stories.
This was the question posed to Timothy Eldred, Executive Director of Christian Endeavor International. Following is a part of his answer.
“The answer is simple, friend. Prayer. We need to raise a generation who knows how to pray and discovers their calling through prayer. In prayer, they will experience God’s power and move forward in His provision to accomplish His will and help build His Kingdom. The Body of Christ needs to stop programming and begin praying!
While the focus is on youth and raising the next generation, the message is true for the entire church. The Body of Christ needs to rediscover prayer. Too long we have tried to program our way to “success” and effectiveness. Christ-followers need to know how to pray. There are several ways to learn – listening to others – reading prayers – but perhaps the best is just to do it.
One of the men I have met with for nearly a year – privately, in a small group and with another new believer – had never prayed (aloud) until last Monday. We had talked about prayer; I had invited him to pray (he declined) and I tried to model prayer – keeping it as simple, not verbose and void of theological jargon. Monday in the context of our group, he prayed – a prayer from the heart that blessed me. I am confident that as he grows in prayer – private and corporate – he will grow in confidence in Christ.
The men of my home church were men of prayer. When I was a teen, they invited me to be a part of their prayer times. Those prayer times blessed me, encouraged me and help me to grow deeper in my understanding of God and of the nature of prayer.
The disciples evidently saw the importance of prayer – they asked Jesus to teach them to pray.
