There is a need for True Discipleship and a lot is being said about the power of individuals who are teachable. Have you realized that our families and children along with their children must be given the opportunity to be exposed to foundational truths which set the ‘CAPTIVE FREE". The Sum Total of Truth, sets individuals free.
Are we looking for convergence or conversion? By Lain Hesketh.
"We all have a story to tell, experiences that have shaped us and left a mark on us. And not all of these experiences are good! We have character traits that are part of who we are, but not all of this reflects the image of God in which we are created. Discipleship is the ongoing transformative work of the Holy Spirit shaping us to be more Christ-like, and it cannot be divorced from participation in his missions.
There are terms we use to make this accessible and palatable for a Western audience; we often use ‘journey' or ‘process' to refer to the discipleship to Jesus. And it's true, sanctification, the process of being made holy, is a vital reality we all must grapple with, just as Jesus' first followers did. However, discipleship is not simply ‘putting Christian clothes on bad behaviors' as a friend of mine framed in a recent conversation. Convergence happens when we simply seek to modify our external behaviors to fit in with the surrounding culture.
Convergence happens when we take a little bit of everything and form a way of following Jesus in our own image, until it eventually looks nothing like the ‘Jesus' way. This is what can happen in a highly individualized form of Christianity and it is so dangerous to the church. We are called to be a distinct people, full of life and attractive to a lost world. Converging old sinful attitudes and actions with the behavior modification of religion is not fullness of life, nor is it attractive. It is only in accountable community that we experience the transforming power of the gospel.
Gary Gibbs, Director of REACH, helpfully describes the ‘process-decision-process' - meaning that evangelism is the process by which we help people who want to know more about Jesus move from unbelief to belief. When someone comes to the point of genuine confession of faith in Jesus, for the forgiveness of sin and his Lordship over all things, a conversion takes place. The old life passes away and the new life comes (John 3:16,17; 2 Cor. 5:17); you were once dead in your sin but through faith in Jesus are made alive to him (Ephesians 2:1-9); we have been transferred from darkness to light (1 Pet 2:9).
Faith in Jesus is to be converted from the inside out. Conversion cannot be forced or coerced, but is the result of someone responding to the grace of God, offered through Jesus and sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Why does this matter? It matters because we are called to be a people who bear witness to the resurrection power of Jesus. Jesus isn't interested in behavior modification but in the renewal of all things. He frees us from the grip of sin and death and liberates us to live life as he intended it. We get to experience this life in part, but one day we will experience it fully!
For sure there is a process of transformation (Romans 12:1-2), but understanding the starting point is so crucial. Conversion not convergence is the gateway to true life."
A major part of my discipleship is weekly communion, and when it is taken devotionally and correctly, I experience an open Heaven over me and invite our congregation to experience the same. I actually experience a personal revival as I partake of the Sweet Bread of the Soul.
This discipline reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us, and how we too must take up our cross daily. We must crucify our flesh (the old man) not clothe it or hide it within religion.
Pastor Cleddie Keith
Are we looking for convergence or conversion? By Lain Hesketh.
"We all have a story to tell, experiences that have shaped us and left a mark on us. And not all of these experiences are good! We have character traits that are part of who we are, but not all of this reflects the image of God in which we are created. Discipleship is the ongoing transformative work of the Holy Spirit shaping us to be more Christ-like, and it cannot be divorced from participation in his missions.
There are terms we use to make this accessible and palatable for a Western audience; we often use ‘journey' or ‘process' to refer to the discipleship to Jesus. And it's true, sanctification, the process of being made holy, is a vital reality we all must grapple with, just as Jesus' first followers did. However, discipleship is not simply ‘putting Christian clothes on bad behaviors' as a friend of mine framed in a recent conversation. Convergence happens when we simply seek to modify our external behaviors to fit in with the surrounding culture.
Convergence happens when we take a little bit of everything and form a way of following Jesus in our own image, until it eventually looks nothing like the ‘Jesus' way. This is what can happen in a highly individualized form of Christianity and it is so dangerous to the church. We are called to be a distinct people, full of life and attractive to a lost world. Converging old sinful attitudes and actions with the behavior modification of religion is not fullness of life, nor is it attractive. It is only in accountable community that we experience the transforming power of the gospel.
Gary Gibbs, Director of REACH, helpfully describes the ‘process-decision-process' - meaning that evangelism is the process by which we help people who want to know more about Jesus move from unbelief to belief. When someone comes to the point of genuine confession of faith in Jesus, for the forgiveness of sin and his Lordship over all things, a conversion takes place. The old life passes away and the new life comes (John 3:16,17; 2 Cor. 5:17); you were once dead in your sin but through faith in Jesus are made alive to him (Ephesians 2:1-9); we have been transferred from darkness to light (1 Pet 2:9).
Faith in Jesus is to be converted from the inside out. Conversion cannot be forced or coerced, but is the result of someone responding to the grace of God, offered through Jesus and sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Why does this matter? It matters because we are called to be a people who bear witness to the resurrection power of Jesus. Jesus isn't interested in behavior modification but in the renewal of all things. He frees us from the grip of sin and death and liberates us to live life as he intended it. We get to experience this life in part, but one day we will experience it fully!
For sure there is a process of transformation (Romans 12:1-2), but understanding the starting point is so crucial. Conversion not convergence is the gateway to true life."
A major part of my discipleship is weekly communion, and when it is taken devotionally and correctly, I experience an open Heaven over me and invite our congregation to experience the same. I actually experience a personal revival as I partake of the Sweet Bread of the Soul.
This discipline reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us, and how we too must take up our cross daily. We must crucify our flesh (the old man) not clothe it or hide it within religion.
Pastor Cleddie Keith