Blog•
on January 14th, 2010•
It is ironic that in a country like America, where the majority of people still consider themselves “Christian,” the moral climate and the church’s influence on society is alarmingly low. The main reason can be attributed to the fact that the church is not heeding Christ’s command to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) The church’s work doesn’t stop at evangelism–Jesus accented the process of evangelism “Go and make disciples…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
A Kingdom Without A King?
Especially in recent decades, the preaching of the Gospel has often been dumbed down and diluted so that it would appear more acceptable to a nation headed in a humanistic and materialist direction. Resultantly, the Gospel has become very man-centered instead of Christ-centered. Consider the following:
- Phrases like “Count your blessings,” “Jesus belongs to me,” “I am satisfied with Jesus,” are all over the lyrics of our favorite songs and hymns.
- Our prayers are often nothing more than requests asking for God’s blessing.
- Our church services and buildings are designed to make us most comfortable (plush seats etc.).
- Evangelistic efforts are marked by promises that Jesus will make your life better.
“For the early Christians, then, so much was at stake for simply saying ‘Jesus is Lord.’”
When we refer to Jesus as “Lord” today, the meaning of the term has usually lost its original sense. In the Greek, kurios meant the one with maximum authority, the creator, the one above everyone else. When Kurios was capitalized, it was only used to refer to Caesar; Caesar of Rome was the Lord. It shouldn’t come to us as a surprise then, that when Christians refused to affirm the greeting of fellow Romans who would say ”Caesar is Lord”, they suffered from persecution and were often martyred. For the early Christians then, so much was at stake for simply saying “Jesus is Lord.”
Lordship Salvation
At the turn of the 20th century a theological debate arose concerning the nature of salvation. Some theologians proposed the idea that all one had to do to be saved was to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Their conclusion was that Jesus’ Lordship was an aspect of salvation that could be realized at a later part of Christian walk. In a way, we can see how this teaching, along with those who accepted it, has watered down the Gospel that has been preached in America ever since.
The role of discipleship in the life of the Christian can only be redeemed when we pay close attention to the totality of what the Bible teaches about what it means to be saved. We must emphasize that although Jesus is gentle and humble in heart, he has a yoke for us to carry (Matthew 11:28-29), and that all those who want to follow him must deny themselves and take up their cross (Matthew 16:2-25). Discipleship is not an optional part of being a Christian; God is not honored in a buffet-style approach to faith. The truly saved will understand that although forgiveness is free, discipleship will cost you everything.
To be continued.
Hull, Bill. The Complete Book of Discipleship. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006.
Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.
MacArthur, John. Faith Works: the Gospel According to the Apostles. Nashville: W Group Publishing, 1993.
Blog•
on January 9th, 2010•
In our last post we set a foundation for Bible study by examining the basic tools and methods for understanding a biblical text. In this post we want to explore two different ways of approaching the Bible. We hope they can serve as examples for how to make the connection between God’s word and your life.
1. Devotional Bible Study
The ultimate purpose of any type of Bible Study is life application, not interpretation, as God wants to change our lives through His Word. The Devotional Bible Study is simply taking a passage of the Bible and prayerfully meditating on it until the Holy Spirit leads you to apply its truth to your own life in a way that is personal, practical, possible, and tangible. In other words, take heed of James’ call to “do what it says” (1:22). Without personal application, any Bible Study becomes an academic exercise without any spiritual value! Remember 2 Tim. 3:16. Head knowledge without heart knowledge creates Pharisees! Even though they knew their Scriptures, they “didn’t know the power of God!” (Matt.22:29) Worse yet, their knowledge gave them a dangerous sentiment of pride: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1).
Our Devotional Bible study must lead to application and spiritual growth in our lives and has several steps:
- Pray for insight on how to apply the passage
- Meditate on the passage you have chosen to study
- Write down an application and ask, “Does this application help me become more like Jesus?”
- Memorize a key verse from your study.
Application is difficult because:
- It requires hard work and serious thinking
- Satan fights it with all of his might
- We naturally resist change and love our comfort zone.
2. Character Trait Method of Bible Study
One of the most important goals for Christians is to develop a Christlike character in their lives. We do this by cooperating with the Word of God and with the Spirit of God in the process of replacing bad character traits with good ones. This type of Bible study helps us identify both the good and the bad traits, and then, through prayer and the help of the Holy Spirit, work at minimizing the bad ones and maximizing the Christ-like ones.
For this type of study we need some of the tools we mentioned in Bible Study Methods – Part 1: A Bible, exhaustive concordance, Bible dictionary or a word study book, topical Bible, English dictionary.
“Analyze whether a negative trait in your life is in fact a positive one, but misused. For instance, if you are legalistic and rigid, it could be that your positive trait of self-control is being misused and that self-discipline must be dipped in love, compassion, and concern for others.”
Important Tips:
- Work on one quality at a time – this will help you stay focused on the weakest trait of your character.
- Character formation takes time – sometimes months, or even years! Don’t despair; persevere!
- Analyze whether a negative trait in your life is in fact a positive one, but misused. For instance, if you are legalistic and rigid, it could be that your positive trait of self-control is being misused and that self-discipline must be dipped in love, compassion, and concern for others.
- You CANNOT do it on your own! It is God’s Spirit that reproduces Christ’s character in us (Phil.2:13).
Steps for a Character Trait Bible Study:
- Name the trait. Look it up in an English Dictionary and write down the definition. List all the synonyms.
- Name the opposite trait. Most Thesauruses also give the antonyms. Write down its definition.
- Do a word study – look up the Bible definition of the quality you are studying. Use net.Bible.org
- Find cross-references: The Bible is the best interpreter of Scripture. Use your concordance and topical bible to find all the verses you can related to this trait.
- Ask:
What are the benefits of this trait for ME?
What are the bad consequences this trait can bring ME?
What are the benefits / consequences this trait can bring to others?
Is there any promise from God related to this quality?
Is there any warning or judgment related to this trait?
Is there a command related to this trait?
What the Bible tells me what God thinks of this trait?
Do I desire more or less of this trait in my life?
Next:
- Write down a short summary of the Bible’s teaching on this quality.
- Find a biblical person in that displayed this character trait in his or her life, and ask whether this trait helped or hindered his/her spiritual growth and what result it produced in his/her life.
- Find a memory verse that best underlines the trait you just studied.
- Think of a situation or relationship that you want to apply and work on this trait. If it is a situation, anticipate in advance how you are going to act when time comes. If it is a relationship, determine ahead how you are going to respond in your relationship with that person. Pray and ask God for His help.
