Tag Archives: Disciple making

The Inclusive Spirit

Same-Spirit-PentecostEastertide
May 18, 2015

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21

“In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams.
Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy…. 

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” –Acts 2”17-18, 21

The message of Pentecost is inclusive. There is no greater challenge facing the church of Jesus Christ than accepting that message into every fiber of our individual and collective beings. Humans seem to be drawn to be exclusive. We are a competitive lot needing to be first or best or whatever other superlative may apply. I do not think that is a bad thing. I could see Jesus playing a pickup game on the beach with the disciples. We have reached the development in science, literature, medicine, and, yes, even sports trying to beat our individual bests. Our worth as individuals and groups, however, is not established by being better than someone else. Our worth was established the day God’s image was melded into our being.

The church is called to be the conduit of the talents and skills of all people toward spreading the love of God throughout the earth and that means we first must love one another. We must invest our energy in enabling each person to be a fully actualized Christian. Disciple making is not a one and done experience, it is a lifetime of growing together in love and faith. We must experience as much of the joy of Christ at the accomplishment of others as we do our own. In all honesty our accomplishments are the results of that wonderful cloud of witnesses that went before us and serve with us now.

Prayer: Lord, heal my soul so that I do not feel the need to be better than another. Grant me the joy of working in communion with fellow Christians. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Telling the Story

Telling the story of JesusEastertide
April 26, 2015

Scripture Reading: John 10:11-16

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. –John 10:16 

This verse has always intrigued me. Who are these sheep that do not belong to this fold? I have heard some say it refers to the gentiles and that essentially includes everyone who is not Jewish. Does it include people of other faiths who are monotheistic? How do we understand this verse in conjunction with John 14:6, Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’?

The verse most likely is a reference to Ezekiel 34:31, You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God. Clearly cloaking Jesus in the tenets of the Hebrew Bible, which also describes people like Melchizedek and the mysterious man in Daniel that have characteristics like the Christ. I tend to err on the side of caution and not assume that I understand all the works of God throughout history and that brings me to being receptive to dialogue with persons of other faiths trying to understand their concepts of the divine.

I do believe that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and life for all and am called to share that good news with everyone, but I must let God take it from there. None of us drew the assignment to judge anyone else’s relationship with God except Jesus because we do not know what he knows.

 Prayer: Lord, enable me to tell your story with all my mind, my heart, and my strength and with my life and love the ones with whom I share the story without regard to their response. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.