Ways to Grow Part 2

When I was growing up I had a go to person to ask for advice or to request prayer. His name was Dave. He was my youth pastor. I look back at him and say he was also a mentor. Throughout life we will have mentors whether it in an official capacity or not. I believe we all need someone to mentor us. It helps as an act of encouragement or one who challenges us to take the next step. This person can pray for and stand up for you. I once read a mentor is “one who walks with the student part of the way, then stops and points out the rest of the journey.” I like the simplicity of this defining quality. The mentor shows us the way but is only there when we invite him back on the path.

In Luke 8, Jesus shares a Parable about different types of soil, and how the soil reacts to the seed being planted. The first is a beaten down bath so the seed is eaten by birds before it takes root. The seed is the Word of God and the path is an example of someone who hears the gospel but it goes in one ear and out the other and never really rests in the heart of the individual.

The second is planted amongst the rocky soil. The seed grows but eventually withers because of the lack of moisture. The seed was never able to take root. This shows an example who believed the gospel but eventually fall away. Maybe the person did not take faith as their own and lived it through the experiences of others, or during a time of testing the fall away because their faith had never taken root.

                The third seeds are planted among the thorns. The plants grew up but were choked by the thorns. They may have accepted the gospel but life’s worries or distractions of the world destroyed their faith.

                The last seeds were planted in a good soil and yielded a crop 100x more than was sown. This is an example of someone who has read and trusted the gospel of Jesus, they live and embody the life of a disciple. Even when they face struggle they persevere by allowing God’s strength to cover their weaknesses.

                Do you ever wonder why faith sticks with some and not others? I have seen many friends walk away from faith. Why them and not me? I believe the answer lies in who and what we surround ourselves with. It is in what we spend our time doing by reading and watching therefore impacting us on a deeper level. Jesus set an example of community which allows us to see how it could be done.

                Jesus spent the majority of his time during his ministry with twelve people. He gave them a call to Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. For the next three years they were together a lot. When Jesus taught, they were there. When Jesus healed, they were by his side. When Jesus walked on water, calmed the storm, fed the 5000 and predicted his death, they were witnessing the miracles. 

                The disciples had a group to grow with. We all need a group. Having a group of Christians helps us to live life together. A group encourages and challenges one another to take the next steps of faith. If you look in the sky later you are bound to eventually see geese flying south. They will be in a flying v formation.  The v helps the geese save a lot of energy similar to a race car saving gas by driving behind another car. The geese are able to fly longer distances at one time; I have read up to 70% more.  The v also helps them keep visual contact with one another. This keeps them from wandering off and becoming lost.  Just like the geese we are stronger and better together. We all need a group.

                We also need a few to be accountable to. Sometimes it is hard to open up to a larger group, but it is easier to be real with 1-3 others. Jesus set this example with three of the disciple; Peter, James, and John. He was vulnerable with them during the transfiguration revealing to them more who he was and the voice of the Father declared in Matthew 17:5, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

                When Jesus eventually left the disciples so he could send his Holy Spirit, he gave them the words to “Go and make disciples.” This commission is for us just as much it was for the eleven disciples. We were meant to pass on our faith through encouragement and equipping others for ministry. We all need one to mentor. So as we close today ask yourself these three questions.

                Who is your group?

                Who are your few?  

                Who is your one?

Ways to Grow

             There comes a time in every young person’s life when you feel like you have finally arrived, where life seems so good it could not be any better. For my son, Tedy, it was when he was tall enough to go down the big slide at the LPC Aquatic Center. He loved it so much he spent the next ninety minutes on the waterslide.

            We all grow. Growth is necessary but we are unable to control the growth process. We must start to see growth differently than we do now. For example there is more than one way to grow. Even Jesus himself grew, Luke 2:52 says, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” This passage describes four different ways of growth.  I would like to break them down for you in a new way.

1.      Stature- High Chair/Physical Growth-High chairs are used to help feed babies. Babies grow by a physical growth. Is the church like a high chair? Yes, but high chairs are temporary. Eventually the baby will outgrow the high chair. The baby will learn to feed themselves.  It would be awkward to see a 40 year old being spoon fed in a high chair.  You have to be careful as a high chair faith can lead to a lazy, unhealthy, narcissistic faith. There must be more than a high chair and spoon fed faith.

2.      Wisdom- Desk Chair/Mental Growth- Desk chairs are used by students to learn. Students grow through information. Is the church similar? Yes, but a desk chair is also temporary. Eventually a student graduates but hopefully does not stop learning. The role of education is to teach a student the ability to continue growing for a lifetime. However if not focused a learning driven faith leads to works driven and prideful faith. Faith is more than attaining knowledge. 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 confirms, “knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.”

3.      Favor with God- Pew/ Spiritual Growth- Pew’s are where people sit during a worship experience. In spiritual growth people grow in the heart. However just because you sit in a pew on Sunday’s it is not an automatic heart change. The danger is sitting in a pew becomes just another thing we do, but never impacts your life. The second danger is that your heart becomes legalistic thinking your way is the best or even only way.  The pew is also temporary. You may sit in it an hour or two a week. The real test is if your faith is actually lived out when you are not sitting in a pew.

4.      Favor with Man- Piano Bench/ Relational and Application Growth- A piano bench is special, it is meant for two people. The teacher and the student sit side by side as the teacher demonstrates. There is a relationship of one pouring into the other. Then as the student grows is able to play the piece on their own. The student practices, the teacher gives advice, the student applies the advice and grows. Eventually the student may grow enough and be able to move into a teaching role.

This is what it is meant to be a disciple. Jesus came alongside each one. Walked with them, taught them and there was transformation. Then Jesus released them to make disciples. Each disciple eventually makes disciples. It was always part of Jesus’ plan for us to be in the role of disciple maker. Now talk to your Pastor to see how you can make disciples.

LeBron and the Quest

Breaking news last night is LeBron has once again left his team in free agency. He has apparently agreed to a deal with the Lakers for the next four years. This is nothing new to LeBron who has the mentality everything is greener on someone else’s lawn. His desire to be the best makes him strive for better, this is part of the American dream.

He says his quest is to win championships. He has won three of them. However he wants more. This lust for more leads him to never be happy where he is. And since he is the best player in the NBA he has the power to control at least part of his destiny. This quest has led him to multiple teams, coaches,  choosing the players he wants on his team, and even trading player’s midseason.  

The problem with the quest for the ideal is that LeBron did not find what he is looking for in Miami or Cleveland and he will not find it in Los Angeles either. His quest has become his idol. He has put this goal above any other.

LeBron has what most American’s desire. He has money, fame, and power, yet he still wants more. I have a feeling if this LA experiment works for him and he wins four championships he will still not be content. There will always be a restlessness in him because he can only fill a void with something he is not chasing.

The quest does not stop with LeBron  and championships, money, fame and power. As Americans, we think we will be happier, better, stronger if we reach our goals but then there is always another goal. We think our country will be happier, better, stronger if we have the right people leading us, or the right laws to govern us. This quest keeps us switching jobs, cities, spouses in a lust for more. Yet we always will fall short, it will never be enough.

Jeremiah 17:5-14 says,

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
⁶ That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?

“I the Lord search the heart
    and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
    according to what their deeds deserve.”

¹¹ Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay
    are those who gain riches by unjust means.
When their lives are half gone, their riches will desert them,
    and in the end they will prove to be fools.

¹² A glorious throne, exalted from the beginning,
    is the place of our sanctuary.
¹³ Lord, you are the hope of Israel;
    all who forsake you will be put to shame.
Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust
    because they have forsaken the Lord,
    the spring of living water.

¹⁴ Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
    save me and I will be saved,
    for you are the one I praise.

            We can learn a lot from this passage.

1.      When we trust man over God we are cursed.

2.      We can be in the best place possible but still feel horrible.

3.      Those who are blessed, follow/trust God.

4.      The heart is deceitful.

5.      Searching riches leaves us short.

6.      God is our hope.

7.      Only God can heal and save us from the curse.

8.      We need to praise God.

We can learn a lot from LeBron.  But until we think differently than him we will never be happy.  Who do you trust? What do you worship? What will you continue to chase until it is too late?