Encounters Blog

For the last nine months, we have endeavored to follow after Christ, and it has been a fruitful journey. It has been fruitful in the sense that it has provided stability and community in the midst of transitions and trials, and for that we are truly thankful to God.

We are now heading into a restful period, but remember that discipleship never rests. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Discipleship is a lifelong movement after Christ, strengthened in His grace and rooted in faith. We may be on break from Encounter Groups, but God is ALWAYS there, and we must follow Christ whenever, wherever.

As we head into the last weeks of 2008, let us be prayerful about 2009, about what God has in store for His disciples. Our faith must not rest, and we must not let our journeys go into hibernation. Let us rely all the more on God’s grace, and, through faith in Jesus Christ, take deliberate, purposeful steps toward our Lord. May the new year be filled with God’s favor upon His people at FC.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” - Jesus, Luke 6:46

We use the term “Lord” without really understanding its full depth and, consequently, its full implications. If we did, we wouldn’t use it so haphazardly. “Lord” isn’t just a title we use when we pray or sing or talk about Jesus. When we come to Jesus and confess Him as “Lord”, we are submitting our will to Him for the Lord is our Master. We are placing ourselves in His care for the Lord is our Provider. Quite simply, we are offering ourselves to Him in complete surrender for He is God.

And as it was then and is today, we call Jesus “Lord”, but we don’t mean it. If we did, our lives would be drastically different. Consider the many ways in which our lives would change if we fully gave ourselves to Jesus as living sacrifices. Our language, our thought processes, our moods, and our behaviors would be so contrary to our “normal” self that people might say, “Where’s the “real” you?”

That’s precisely what God wants to see, that our “normal” self is the one people encounter when we are living under Jesus’s Lordship. Our “real” self ought to be revealed as we live faithfully as His disciples. May the grace of our Lord and the strength of His Spirit be with us as we humbly offer ourselves to God in sacrifice.

In response to Ben’s comment on Fellowship, we also had a similar discussion in our group.  I emphasized the bible fact that fellowship involves edifying the body, whether it’s through discusison about God, the Word or encouraging one another. If we are not doing any of the above, I would assume we are not having true fellowship.  I believe the word fellowship is so misconstructed nowadays specially because we lack it in our daily lives.  But yeah, we also had a split of opinion.

“Mission”, like a lot of other Christian words, is a loaded term. We hear it, and we think of exotic locations and peoples, training and fundraising, etc. We come to church once or twice a week, and we occasioanally invite a friend or two to join us there, and when we have free time during our vacations, we “go on a mission trip”. In doing so, though, we have severely limited our understanding of what it means to spread the gospel. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times, but I’ll say it again: Mission happens every day, wherever we are, whenever we are.

It is true that we must take the gospel to the “ends of the earth”, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that we shouldn’t be sharing it while we’re trying to get there. Our faith should be evident in the day to day, the moment to moment. We may stumble somewhere along the way, but we must keep true to the calling of our Lord and be His witnesses in every circle of influence. That’s how it all got started in the first place: friends telling friends in the synagogues, neighbors telling neighbors in front of their homes, strangers telling strangers on the road to the market.

God calls us to take His message to the remotest parts of this world and everywhere along the way. Do not be limited in our scope because God certianly isn’t in His.

Fellowship is one of those words that is spoken of frequently in churches but all too often misunderstood. It’s not just a gathering of like minded people who believe in Jesus. It’s not just a gathering of different personalities working together for Christ. It’s not just a group of people devoted to the study of the Scriptures. Simply put, fellowship is a gift of God made possible only through the grace and blood of Jesus Christ. It is a community established by God, made available in and through Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Firstly, fellowship is not something we create. Rather, it is a place, a reality to which we are invited. Think about it: how can a group of imperfect creatures like us create something so perfect as Biblical fellowship? We can’t. God created fellowship in order that He might bring His people unto Himself. He invites us into that fellowship, into His presence. We don’t come together and go to Him; He is already there!

Secondly, fellowship is available to us in and through Christ. Without His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we cannot be reconciled to the Father. We are forever lost, never to be united with our Creator. Praise God that such is not the case! Jesus poured out His grace and love on all humankind, and through faith in Him, true, divine fellowship is possible for us. We relate to one another through Him, not on our own terms (for they are frail and imperfect). Christ is the anchor of any Christian fellowship, and He mediates every relationship.

Finally, fellowship is empowered by the Spirit of God, who dwells within each believer. Each person acts not according to the ways of the world but instead according to the Word and will of God. We have been “transformed by the renewing of our minds”, giving ourselves over to the Holy Spirit as living sacrifices.

What it comes down to is that fellowship is a gift from God, a demonstration of His amazing grace. Fellowship is not, and never will be, something we create and maintain through our own will and strength. It is from and sustained by our Triune God. Let’s thank the Lord for creating His fellowship, for inviting us into His fold. Let’s thank the Lord for the ultimate sacrifice He made to make this fellowship available to us. Let’s thank God for His Spirit that inspires, encourages, and moves us to participate in that fellowship as the Lord desires it. Let’s thank God for this gift of fellowship, and dwell in it according to His Word and will.

Hallelujah! The Lord is good!

Today, we witnessed God’s faithfulness and love for FC as we formally accepted Pastor Steve Rim to be our new senior pastor. Several months of patiently praying and waiting have brought us to this new chapter in the life of this body of Christ, and I, for one, am VERY excited! I hope you are, too!

During the question and answer session prior to the vote, Pastor Steve spoke clearly of his desire to disciple the leaders so that they in turn will disciple others. How marvelous is it, then, that Encounters ministry is all about discipleship?! God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, friends, and He has great and unknowable things planned for us. Let us seek Him passionately, searching for Him with all of our mind, body, and soul!

To prepare for next week’s session, here’s Ch. 5 of DFD:

DFD Chapter 5

Blessings!

Brainstorm/Heartstorm:  the five years of attending bible studies and encounters has been consistent with this observation.  The same people prepare their hearts/mind for the meetings.  These people are the ones who seriously attempt their h.w. & memory versus. (MANY OF THESE WONDERFUL CHRISTIANS LEFT OUR CHURCH BY THE WAY) This also holds true for those that don’t, those that cannot even attend on a consistent basis, and those that talk of Jesus as if they know Him.  The biblical fact is that IF you are not in the word,  not living a life w/ prayer, seeking worldly things above our Lord: He DOES NOT KNOW YOU EITHER.  Please don’t come to encounters to hang out, eat, and then talk during discussion time when you didn’t even reflect or attempt the assignments…it’s very cheap and you are ruining the lesson for others.  Come b/c God is love but keep your mouth shut if you come empty handed and decide to be “Christian” for the night you have encounters.  I cannot judge the hearts of man, but I have eyes that see…my observations.

I will be away on a business trip from Sunday to Wednesday next week, so I thought I’d post up Ch. 4 of DFD for everyone. I know, it’s WAY early, but that means you can get it done early, right? =)

DFD: Chapter 4

Blessings!

As promised, here is the link to get the PDF for Chapter 3 of Design For Discipleship:

DFD Chapter 3

Following your session with your groups this week, please download the PDF, answer all the questions, and take them to next week’s session. Blessings!