THE CHAIR

Here is another classic video tool on the topic of total surrender to God.

GOD'S CHISEL

The 3D folks at Barkeyville--this is a great summary of the purposes of the spiritual disciplines:

THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE OF SECRECY

For my folks in Barkeyville who are doing the 3D Study, here is an excellent video:

ENABLEMENT

BY STEVE DUNN

In the study of spiritual gifts, we often define them as divine enablements.  This is to distinguish them from skills.  All persons can be taught the skill of sharing one's faith, i.e., how to do evangelism.  In this case, learning precedes acting.  The skill is enhanced when it is empowered by the Holy Spirit's presence in the activity.

An enablement is not learned,  it is bestowed.  It is a gift of the Holy Spirit and its exercise provides leadership and encouragement to the rest of the Body as all do the work of evangelism.  One might say that the spiritual gift itself becomes a part of the new nature of the believer.  They cannot help but make disciples because that in particular was what they were redeemed to do.

Or think of teachers.  Some people by skill are good teachers--and we learn from them.  But some are given the Gift of Teaching and despite what others may consider a lack of skill or a deficit in presentation, we are compelled to learn deep truth when they speak.

What do you think--read this alongside Ephesians 4 for more insights.

CASE STUDY - PEOPLE THAT LOVE

BY STEVE DUNN

        Many years ago I pastored a church in the Midwest.  The church never had a lot of money; but it had dedicated people and a fruitful ministry with a positive impact for Christ in the community.  There were five of us on the staff-two full-time and three part-time.  The church's slim finances generally meant that we were not overpaid.  Three of us had families to support with school age children.

     One day, when money was tight, I went to the mailbox.  There was a white envelope in it addressed to me.  The address label had been computer generated.  In the envelope two fifty dollar bills and a note with more computer-generated words.   Those words?

PEOPLE THAT LOVE

     My first thought was to be astounded at so much cash being sent in an envelope with no return address.  Obviously, some trusting person wanted to be anonymous.  I thanked God for the gift and asked him to thank the giver.

       Several weeks later another envelope arrived with more cash, again from PEOPLE THAT LOVE.  And several weeks later, another.

      One day my youth pastor stepped into my office with a white envelope and cash.

      "People that love."

     "How did you know?"

     "I've had several myself."

    Some weeks later another staffer came in with the same astounded look.

     Those envelopes for almost two years.  Later I learned that they had come not only to my church staff, but others in the church family.  Altogether easily several thousand dollars--all in white envelopes with computer generated labels, always cash and always signed PEOPLE THAT LOVE.

     What prompts such generosity?

     I think we know.

3D CLASS CASE STUDY - LEGOS

BY STEVE DUNN

Are you familiar with that staple of creative children’s toy – the LEGO ® ?  The basic LEGO building brick looks like this:

On a typical brick there are 4-8 hardened raised circles that serve as the “connectors” to the other bricks.  When a connector is inserted into the bottom of the connector of another block, and then connected to another—structures can be built.   In some cases elaborate toys are created.  It is something wondrous.

 

      As elaborate as the ultimate construction may be—a single block with 4-8 blocks is only to able to connect with only 4-8 other raised circles.  There can only 4-8 solid connections.

     Social scientists tell us that most of us, while having many acquaintances can only have about 4-8 close relationships.  Those are relationships that are intimate enough to be enduring and dependable.  Where, to use a scriptural metaphor, “we know as we are known.”

      When it comes to building relationships that are capable of bringing people to redemption in Christ, what are the implications for people who have been Christians for more than several years?

THE BIG RED TRACTOR

Francis Chan has created this little video to teach about the relationship of the Church to the Holy Spirit. This especially for my 3D students.

WEEK 1 - ZOE

by Steve Dunn

In week 1 of Doing Discipleship Daily, we spoke of the tie between discipleship and Jesus' promise recorded in John 10:10 of the abundant life.  The Greek word for life in that text is zoe.

Strong's Concordance has this information on the nature and purpose of possessing this zoe-life.

 zoe { dzo-ay’)  Strong's Lexicon: Greek Origin

Life- the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is anim
- every living soul- of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him,

 zoe { dzo-ay’}

1. Strong's Lexicon: Greek Origin
   -Life
   - the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
   - every living soul
   -Life
   - of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through Him
   - life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, and to last for ever.

1.  - life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, and to last for ever.

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD

This post originally appeared in my devotional blog THRIVING IN CHRIST  June 19, 2012 - Steve

BY STEVE DUNN

 

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." - Hebrews 11:6

 

Man years ago, as a younger pastor, I stood at the door of the church and soaked up the "That was a great sermon, pastor" accolades.  We all like affirmation. It is the way God wired us.  I had hit a homiletic home run and was reveling in the "atta-boys'."  

 

But one of my elders waited until all had passed me by and then simply said, "I perceive you are a people-pleaser."  Trust me, that's not a compliment.  Before I could defend myself he said, "You work hard on your sermons.  You really like it when people tell you they like your efforts.  But here's the problem.  On every given Sunday there is someone in your hearing who should not like your sermon. They are in sin or harboring a sinful attitude and if you are doing God's work, the truth that you speak should make them uncomfortable, feel guilty, maybe even angry. If everyone agrees with what you said, you are probably being disobedient to God as a preacher."

Ouch!

 

But the more I thought about, he was right.  And since then I have been very careful that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are God's words from God's heart, not mine.  And if I speak the truth in love, then I have to accept that the truth is convicting to a person not living with God's heart.  I need to be sure my sermons please God, not the audience.

 

What pleases God?  Truth, obviously.  But faith in particular.

 

I have found that some people have a faith and others live by faith.  Some people have a set of beliefs that given them meaning, comfort, and even a sense of order.  Others live by faith -- they simply live in daily obedience to the will and purposes of God--trusting that His will is best and that He provides all things needed for those who live by His will. There is simply no other option in their minds.  They never settle for any lower expectations.

 

The former can often reduce one to a fairly static walk with God, that never really surrenders to His will because His will rarely is safe and comfortable.  His will takes us out on mission.  "A faith" often allows us to justify inaction because at least we believe the right things.

 

I think that latter is what Paul meant when he said, "The righteous will live by faith." - Romans 1:17.

 

 

Anything that doesn't lead you to pleasing God, even at the expense of displeasing men and making yourself feel uncomfortable, is not faith.

(C) 2012 by Stephen Dunn

3D - DOING DISCIPLESHIP DAILY

 BY STEVE DUNN

In addition to serving as an intentional interim pastor for the Churches of God and an adjunct professor for Winebrenner Seminar, I have a consulting and equipping ministry called BFRIDGEBUILDERS MINISTRIES.  We resources for evangelism, discipleship, outreach, leadership and tools for healthy kingdom-focused churches.

Currently we are piloting a new in-depth discipleship development tool called 3D-Doing Discipleship Daily.  Thirteen lay persons from the Barkeyville Church of God in western Pennsylvania are helping us with a test pilot for this program and its materials.

Although I have designed this as a public blog, we are using it to facilitate their learning experience and to allow them to reflect and comment on what they are learning.  The posts related to this are labeled with this symbol.

You are welcome to read these posts and comment upon them.

WHAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM MOVING FORWARD

Michael Kelly's most recent post in FORWARD PROGRESS is a must read for all of us on a discipleship journey. - STEVE

 
The New Testament calls us to a different kind of ethic – it’s a new kind of obedience. It’s not one measured in adherence to a code, but an obedience that’s through and through – not just doing right, but being right. Not just acting with love, but truly loving. Not just willingly acting but feeling it as well. But in the middle of all of these demands, there is one that isn’t quite as exciting:

Keep going.

Don’t give up.

Persevere to the end.

Or, as Journey might put it, don’t stop believin’:

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us…” Hebrews 12:1

“If we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us…” 2 Timothy 2:12

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:13

During those days, these verses were read largely in the context of persecuted believers, or in the prediction of persecution to come. Faith was or would be challenged with loss, and in light of the cost, many would abandon their confession. They would reject what they believed. They would give up and stop running the race of faith.

But I don’t currently live in a persecuted state, and I’m not often tempted to give up my beliefs based on threats of property seizure, social loss, or outright violence. Likely, if you’re reading this, you might not either. But the exhortations to remain in the faith are still there. It seems like a good time, then, for me (and others who live in relative freedom like me) to ask the question of our own selves:
If not persecution, what will make us give up our faith?

You could probably point to many things, so here’s one more to throw into the mix: materialism. Greed. Prosperity. This is what might make us give up our faith. To understand why, though, you have to dig in a bit to the basis of Christianity, and then how prosperity puts a challenge to it.
Christianity is, from the beginning, a humiliating religion. To come to Christ, you can be full of all kinds of sin. But the one thing that you cannot be full of is pride. That’s because the message of the Christianity is a self-debasing one – you are dead in your sin, and you can’t ultimately help yourself out of that condition. You are a person in the worst kind of need.

Understanding that helps us see why prosperity might be the thing in prosperous nations of the world that might most make us abandon our faith. With money comes misplaced security. With money comes misplaced confidence. With money comes the altered sense of self that makes us forget or neglect why we came to the cross in the first place.

Money makes us forget our need of God, and with that forgetfulness comes the abandonment of the gospel.

So be careful, all of us who are rich. Be careful that your money does not replace your God. Be careful that your money does not keep you from believing.

LOVE IN A PIZZA BOX

Tim Bistline is the Senior Pastor of the Church of God of Landisville.  He has a deep love of Jesus and a heart for discipleship and his family is a great example of the idea of being missional. US AND COMPANY is his blog which is followed by718 people.  This recent post expresses the heart of what this blog, IMMEASURABLY MORE seeks to communicate to the 21st century church of Jesus Christ.

love and a pizza box

BY TIM BISTLINE
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matt. 22:37-40 (NLT)

My oldest daughter, Emily, spent a week of her Christmas college break on a mission trip to the Bowery Mission in New York City. Sixteen young adults went on an urban adventure to love God and love “their neighbor’s” in the Big Apple. Something amazing happened to my daughter which solidified the entire purpose of the trip; something so small that you and I might miss it, but my daughter “caught the God moment” with both hands and her heart. Here is her story…

On Tuesday, the team of college students were sent out to an area in the neighborhood known as Thompson Park to set up a “make-shift” food market where homeless people could come and shop for fresh food and produce. Along with the portable market, a food line was set up to distribute hot food for the taking. It was a cold, damp and rainy morning
Emily began serving soup in the food line; sandwiches were being served along with drinks. Other students moved crates of food out of a delivery truck o keep the portable market shelves filled with food for those who came to shop. The mission team kept busy despite the outside conditions growing worse.
Midway through the morning, Emily served a homeless man who was struggling to communicate with her as to what he wanted; there seemed to be a language barrier despite her efforts to speak Spanish to the man. He kept pointing down, looking under the table as if to point at her feet. She nodded, kept her composure and tried to remain polite but was confused by his actions and attempts to speak. After a short time, the man-made his way through the “soup line” and disappeared into the large crowd that had gathered for the food.

Time passed. Emily kept serving soup. A light rain turned into a slow drizzle of showers; more time passed. And then, out of no where, the man returned to the soup line with an empty pizza box. He made his way around the table, moving toward Emily; she felt some concern rising up in her, but did not panic. She did not feel as though he was posing any kind of threat. After all, he was only caring a pizza box. He stood beside her, gently pushed her to one side and put the pizza box on the ground where she had been standing. She watched the man in action; she began to notice that where she had been standing, a puddle of water had formed around her feet. She then began to realize that her feet felt cold and wet. The man motioned for her to step on to the pizza box; she did and once again, began serving soup. Then it “hit her”… the God moment.

In an effort to love and serve God by loving and serving her “neighbor”, Emily realized that the “neighbor”, with nothing more than some street smarts and ingenuity, returned a favor of love with the gift of a pizza box to keep her feet dry. (It is the wisdom on the street… to survive, you must stay warm and dry and it is very important to take extra care of the feet.) A simple, small, kind act of love from a stranger changed the heart of my daughter that day. The power of love through serving others can make a big difference in our lives and in the communities in which we live, and change our hearts. Let us ALL learn to lead with love!
For more info in the Bowery Mission, check out their website… http://www.bowery.org