Discipleship and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

Our family likes to go camping each summer, and when we go, it's been fun to load up our mountain bikes and ride on the trails near our campground.

My daughters were excited to get out and ride the rougher grounds when the girls "graduated" to bigger, sturdier bikes with more gears and knobby tires.  The thing was, though, that they hadn't had that many gears to deal with.

Our first time out on the hilly terrain wasn't fun, I'm sad to admit.  Mostly, the girls had difficulty timing their shifting to lower gears when going uphill, and shifting to higher gears going downhill.  And when they'd shift, it was usually opposite of what it should have been (peddling harder going uphill was the worst).

When we got back to the campground, I (errantly) thought it best to give the girls some instruction on the art of shifting, avoiding cross-chaining, gear timing, and the finer points of revs per minute.  The really exciting part came when I demonstrated (flawlessly, I might add) changing a tire.

I shouldn't have been surprised when they went off riding on own.  Even to this day, they leave our campsite to go for a ride and avoid having dad come along!  "Hey, can I come?" I yell.  "We got it!  Be back soon!" is the only reply as I see the girls disappear in a cloud of gravel road dust.

Looking back, I can shake my head and laugh at myself and my approach to contributing to the girls' "enjoyment" of riding.  (In fact, I find myself chuckling every now and again as I write this)

Isn't discipling the same way?

Discipleship isn't imparting wisdom and insight, granting someone the privilege of listening to my lecture.  It's walking alongside others, revisiting our own failures and theirs.  Learning together and dealing with life together.  Learning the Gospel together and revisiting it, again and again.

We could easily turn new believers away by making prayer, studying the Bible, and reaching others a tedious and impossible way of life.  Come to think of it, we could do the same with more mature believers also!

When we hear Jesus talk about teaching, we should be cautious to not think in terms of a lecture hall.  Classes and lectures have a place, but Jesus taught in his relationships in the real-world classroom; teaching in parables as questions and situations arose; living and eating together; taking advantage of learning opportunities every moment.

Thinking back to our biking episode, I realize that, instead of pointing out all of the things the girls needed to do to bike successfully, I should have just rode with them - having fun - and dealing with any issues along the way - dealing with them together so they could see how to fix a flat or put the chain back on; shifting.  Encouraging.

Think about it:  What would be the most effective way to have a new follower of Christ to learn what the Bible says?  Have him/her take in a weekly lecture, or invite this person in to your own quiet study time, walking through the steps of studying the Bible?

When we help others grow, we also, as teachers, increase our own knowledge and deepen our relationship with Christ.

A "God Moment"

Romans 10:12-14

Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?  

Romans 10:12-14

And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20

Today is Sunday.

There was a time in the not too distant past that I hated (yes, hated) Sundays.

Before our family was torn apart about ten years ago, Sundays represented everything that was good: Going to church, a big dinner, heading to a museum with the kids, hanging out with family, naps.

After our family crisis, Sundays were the worst since either a) it was my daughter's weekend with their mom, or b) I had to take them to their mom.  On top of that, I had just gone through the bankruptcy and reorganization process at the airline I worked at, and took a big cut in pay in addition to being released from employment.  For a newly single dad, making ends meet, financially, meant working two and three jobs, taking in a renter, and accepting food from family and neighbors at times.  Talk about being humbled.

(Before I get too far along, please read on!  Mercy and redemption came a few years later)

One Sunday, I was out for a walk on a wooded path near my home, greatly saddened after dropping my girls off at their mother's home.

"God?  It really feels like you're not there.  Not there at all!  Was there something I did to deserve all this?  Why?  Why does my life have too hurt so badly?  Where are you?  Why have you left me?"

"You're not even here, are you!" I said, grudgingly.  "If you're here, please Lord, show me you're here.  I really need to know."

Now, I promise you what happened next is fact; an event that I go back to whenever a doubt about God's presence sneaks into mind.

As I walked, I looked up, and just above the treetops, a bald eagle was soaring not too high up.  Being blessed to live in an area where bald eagle sightings are occasional, I thought, "Hmmm.  OK, well that's cool, but probably just a coincidence."

The eagle continued to fly a large circle for a few moments, then seemingly out of nowhere, another bald eagle appeared from behind the trees, but a youngster - not fully grown.  Its wings were rough-looking with some gaps and ruffled trailing edges on the wings, and its flight was rather unstable.

As I watched, it looked like the younger bird overcorrected its turns in the wind, while the adult's flight was completely stable.  It was obvious to sense what was happening; that the younger was learning to fly and the adult was setting the example.

My heart softened immediately as soon as I saw the young eagle.  I knew that God heard my prayer (or should I say, my complaint?).

- Where and when have you had clues or evidence that God is near, even when he seems far off?
- Do you know someone who needs to know whom to call on, yet hasn't yet heard the Gospel message?

Storm The Gates

"...and on this rock [Greek, petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

Matthew 16:18 (AMP)

One of my favorite things to do when in Nicaragua is to visit with Eddie Morales.  Eddie is a man of God, vision, perseverance, confidence, humility, and strength.

One evening during Porch Time (basically a time of remembering the day's events and teaching), Eddie let us know what he had been reading and meditating on in the Bible earlier that week; Matthew 16:18.  In summary, he said when we read this verse, we tend to read it defensively - we put up our shield of faith and tolerate the attacks on us, hoping to hold out and survive.

We need to be on the offensive when we read this.  The verse states that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, meaning we (Christ-followers) are attacking the gates.  When we do God's Will, we strike a blow against the gates of hell.

So how does this play out in life?

All of us know (or should know) what God's will is for us.  Here's a short list:
     - Love God, our neighbors, make disciples (Matt 22:39, 28:19)
     - Always be joyful; Pray continuously; be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thess 5)
     - Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8)

When we work to improve our neighbor's quality of life, we strike a blow against the gates.

How does this equate with using the Sword?

When we bring heaven to earth acting in God's will; when we show our faith with action; when we admonish someone in love so that they are encouraged to repent - using God's Word in God's Will, we strike a blow against the gates of hell.

Can you imagine what would have happened to Jesus had he not used the Sword against Satan when he was tempted in the wilderness?  (Matthew 4)  When Satan attacked (i.e. attempted to manipulate) Jesus, Jesus's reply was always with the Word of God from the Old Testament.

If you need a more recent example, how about Martin Luther King, Jr. in the fight for civil rights?  Where would the state of civil rights be if MLK sat on his hands and said, "Well, if it's God's will for us to be oppressed, I guess we'll just have to tolerate it."  No.  He used the sword.  He knew all people are created of equal value to God and he went for justice through the Word and civil disobedience.

We've already won, so we need to be on the offensive.  At the same time, we need to let go of the belief that whatever comes easily is God's will.

We have the sword.  We know God's will.  We need to stop sitting on our hands and get to work!