Discipleship

Ephesians 4:11-16 will be the foundation of my next series of sermons about discipleship.

Click on the image for a beautiful word cloud of the passage.

Seven paths of Discipleship

Discipleship is facilitated at Grace Silicon Valley through membership, worship services, community groups, prayer, service opportunities, Christian education, and deliberate relationships.

Here are some ways you can be discipled:

1) Through Membership. This is the most basic way for the leaders of the church to know you and fulfill their call to equip and encourage you. Take advantage of this opportunity to be in relationship with the leaders by communicating with them.

2) Through the Worship Service. Make weekly worship your top priority (even if you’re traveling). Also, come to the worship service as a worshiper, not a consumer. Pray for God to meet us there and expect He will. Come looking for opportunities to listen and love others.

3) Through Community Groups. Community Groups are the primary context for discipleship at Grace Silicon Valley. They are the place where we unpack our Sunday worship, share the means of grace, bring our joys and burdens, and come to know others and be known (confessing, confronting, supporting and encouraging one another). The pastors/elders at Grace Silicon Valley oversee, encourage and equip the Group leaders so they can encourage and equip others. Community Groups are also the “front lines” for pastoral care, and the place where the leadership learns of pastoral needs.

4) Through Prayer. The entire Christian life intersects with prayer. Our hearts and minds are shaped through prayer. Our relationships deepen as we rejoice over answered prayers and present one another’s needs to God. Vision for Kingdom work is inspired and triggered in prayer. And, the strength of God’s Spirit comes to us in prayer. We pray before and during worship, in Community Groups, in ministry teams and in special times set aside just for prayer.

5) Through Service. Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats, and also the book of James, teach that when we face the Lord, He won’t need to test us on our theology. He’ll simply look at our deeds, which serve as the true story of our theology. Discipleship which only occurs over conversation and books pretends that we are disembodied minds and is a commitment to a theoretical life only (not whole-life). Jesus opposed this kind of religion. Through serving one another and our city the life of Jesus is at work in us.

6) Through Education. We are not opposed to discipleship of the mind! It is critical. Here are some of the ways you can grow in knowledge at Grace Silicon Valley:

• · GraceU Course Offerings, Seminars, Weekend Conferences
• · Annual Church Retreat
• · Missions Presentations and Prayer
• · Arts/culture: Movies at Grace, book discussions, arts
• · Resources: recommended reading, sermons, and study guides
• · Vocational discussion groups/mentoring

7) Through Deliberate Relationships. Many people benefit from a small, close group of reliable friends who are willing to honestly care for each other. These friendships can be open-ended (ex: ‘how is God working in your life now?’), guided (ex: with a specific curriculum), or issue-specific (ex: helping with a sin pattern or struggle). The key is consistent, regular, dependable meeting together.

Leadership Development at Grace Church

The pastors and elders want the next two years to be focused on building up our church community as disciples. Leaders are a key part of our church and we want more time helping our leaders to grow. So, we're reviving and improving an important gathering: the leadership meeting. We trust that you will look forward to these events as a highlight of your Christian walk next year. Please feel free to invite potential leaders and apprentices so that they benefit from the support of these gatherings.

Leadership Summit
Grace Presbyterian Church

Leadership Summits are for all ministry leaders at Grace Church (especially Community Groups, ministry teams, outreach, mercy, missions). These Summits help keep our leadership community growing in Christ and close together. Are they dry, boring lectures? No! Expect music, testimonies, prayer, short talks, group exercises, food. Afterwards… continue to hang out on California Ave. We want this time to be valuable for our leaders' personal and ministry life.

Date	Theme	Bonus
September 14	Helping People Grow as Christians	What’s New at Grace Church
October 12	What Makes a Christian Leader?	Survey: Tell Us What You Need to Grow
November 16	You Decide! (results of a leadership study)	Preview of Vision Sunday
January 18	Asking Powerful Questions	Case Study: Guilt
February 15	Loving Jesus More than Everything Else	Case Study: Depression
March 15	God’s Gifts, Talents and Resources For His Kingdom	Preview of Grace Church’s 10thAnniversary
May 10	You Decide! (results of a leadership study)	Celebrate the Ministry Year

Time: 7:30-9:00 PM

Location: Grace Church offices, 2431 Park Boulevard, Palo Alto, CA

The All-Sufficient God

Sermons in May were a helpful encouragement to all of us as we walk through the most challenging years of our generation. Economic challenges are hard for Silicon Valley people to deal with. Not because we're generally better off than other areas, which makes it easier for many. It's harder because we're accustomed to a culture of self-sufficiency.

What happens when we are no longer sufficient? Followers of Jesus believe that God himself is truly all-sufficient. He works in times of joy and sorrow, in plenty and want. Believing and applying God's all-sufficient care is a way to guide each other in times of challenge.

If you missed any of them, they can be found here:

May 31 '09	Why Worry?	Matthew 6:25-34	MP3
May 24 '09	Spiritual Dryness	Psalm 42; 43	MP3
May 23 '09	Joy in the Journey	Deuteronomy 8:1-9	MP3
May 10 '09	Through Fire	Isaiah 43:1-4	MP3
May 3 '09	Comfort	2 Corinthians 1:3-11	MP3

For more practical help: David Powlison, a wise counselor, teacher and writer at CCEF, posted a series of articles about Worry. The articles begin here>.

New Mercies

“If you are one of God’s children, there is something in your life that will not wear out. In fact, it has the amazing capacity to be new day after day after day. Scripture says that God’s mercies are ‘New every morning.’

Now, you know you need mercy, because you know you need forgiveness and help. Almost every day you mess up in some way. Almost every day you face things that are bigger than the size of your personal wisdom and strength. You and I constantly need the mercy of forgiveness and the mercy of enablement. And so, it is very encouraging to know that God’s mercy is new every day! God’s mercy never grows stale and it never loses it’s transforming power. God’s mercy is brand new morning after morning after morning.

This also means that God’s mercy is form-fit for the problems that you are facing right here, right now. Each morning you are given new mercies for the particular things that you will face that day.

So, you can wake up tomorrow with courage and hope. And you can do this, not because of your strength and wisdom, but because you know that the most important thing you have ever been given will never wear out. You can also have hope because you know that the God who has given that new mercy, knows exactly what you are about to face.”

—Paul David Tripp, “It Won’t Wear Out”

If this was encouraging to you, check out and subscribe to First Importance.

Experienced at Healing Broken Hearts

One of my sidebar links is Of First Importance, a daily blog filled with excellent quotes. They can be RSS fed or sent as daily emails. Here are two from this week so that you can sample the kind of daily encouragement that the site brings.

“There never was one who came to him with a broken heart, but he healed him. He never said to one, “You are too bad for me to heal;” but he did say, “Him that cometh to me, I will in now wise cast out.” My dear hearer, he will not cast you out. You say, “You do not know me, Mr. Spurgeon.” No, I do not; and you have come here to-night, and you hardly know why you are here; only you are very low and very sad. The Lord Jesus Christ loves such as you are, you poor, desponding, doubting, desolate, disconsolate one. Daughters of sorrow, sons of grief, look ye here! Jesus Christ has gone on healing broken hearts for thousands of years, and he is well up in the business. He understands it by experience, as well as by education. He is “mighty to save.” Consider him; consider him; and the Lord grant you grace to come and trust him even now!” - Charles Spurgeon, Christ’s Hospital

“The happiness promised us in Christ does not consist in outward advantages—such as leading a joyous and peaceful life, having rich possessions, being safe from all harm, and abounding with delights such as the flesh commonly longs after. No, our happiness belongs to the heavenly life.

Christ enriches his people with all things necessary for the eternal salvation of souls and fortifies them with courage to stand unconquerable against all the assaults of spiritual enemies. From this we infer that he rules—inwardly and outwardly—more for our own sake than his.

Thus it is that we may patiently pass through this life with its misery, hunger, cold, contempt, reproaches, and other troubles—content with this one thing: that our King will never leave us destitute, but will provide for our needs until, our warfare ended, we are called to triumph.”

—John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.15.4

In Mammon we trust

Jesus called Mammon a competing god.
Wealth itself (the mere object) is simply a piece of creation. Yet Mammon is the personification of the power that money has to control our desires, actions and dreams. It is potent and secretive, easily weaving itself into our perfectly normal needs.

The lie of Mammon is that it can give us what only the true God can: security or power or pleasure or acclaim or success. Four simple-yet-lifelong steps:

1. Exposing the lie is the first step in becoming a person who uses money for it's proper purposes, rather than being used by Mammon."Money, you don't own me!"
   
2. Remembering the sacrificial love of Jesus, who gave up everything for his people is a daily discipline to become free from Mammon's tyranny. Gratitude to God is a way to savor the good things that you have without becoming addicted to them. "God, you have been good!"
   
3. Becoming a 'cheerful giver' (2Cor 9), able to delight in letting money leave your hands without guilt or grudge. Trusting that God's care will continue in the future as it has in the past. "Sure, I can help!"
   
4. Maintaining a general modesty, essentially becoming monetarily humble even if income or wealth increases. Living so that people see less of you and more of Jesus through you. "Wow, I want that... but can I do without?"
   

Discussion: What is one simple way to keep from buying unnecessary things?

Recent sermons on money: Generosity and True Riches

Money and Love

Money and Love are hardly used in the same sentence... unless it's a joke.

But Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that the way Christians use their money is a test of the sincerity of their love.

In a money-obsessed, success-driven Silicon Valley culture, we can see how intense money is to human behavior. I experienced the same kind of intensity in my previous career as a Wall Street investment banker/vc.

Instead, Christians can know just how radical and refreshing a gospel centered life can be. It is freedom to say to a money-drunk heart: "I can live without you." And mean it. Because you have something better, something of infinite value and glory: union with Jesus Christ.

If you want to slowly, but surely, see money's stranglehold on your heart be released, then I recommend this study guide. Prayerfully go over it yourself or discuss it with a Community Group or friend.

Discussion: how central is money to the Silicon Valley life?

Freaky Gifts

You can't help noticing in 1Corinthians 12 that Paul lists several spiritual gifts that are freaky (= 'strange and maybe a little frightening'). These are the controversial spiritual gifts, especially in a rational place like Silicon Valley.

Tongues, prophecy, healings, oh my! What's a Presbyterian to do?

I didn't have enough time to discuss them with any significant depth in my sermon yesterday. Just a passing reference, which isn't enough to explore the genuine disagreements that Christians have over these gifts and their potential use today.

If you want more information, I recommend a Vern Poythress (Westminster Seminary) article. It is the best, most fair, most deeply analytical and yet most compact article on the subject. However, it's not for the theologically faint of heart; you may find some it tough going. Modern Spiritual Gifts as Analogous to Apostolic Gifts. How's that for a title?

Discuss: Controversy is a great way to get lively blog discussions going. However, if you have major disagreements or questions after reading Poythress' article, feel free to email me directly. In the meantime, this is an intriguing topic for live conversation.

Peeking Under the Tree

Finding your spiritual gifts is a little like peeking at the gifts under the Christmas tree. The gifts are already there, waiting to be used. They've been purchased, wrapped and lovingly given.

But all of the gifts are for the sake of others. They aren't toys or facial creams or the latest hot band's CD. They are gifts to serve with, gifts that still belong to the Giver and who will use them for his best purposes.

Want to learn more? Download this great article on Spiritual Gifts.

Discuss: what excites you about knowing your spiritual gifts?

Sermons: Gifts of the Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit 2.

Gifts for Ministry

Last Sunday, I taught about Spiritual Gifts and their use in the church. As Christians in Silicon Valley, which is so driven by talent/aggressiveness/tenacity, it's an encouragement to know that God gives his people (no matter who they are) the equipping they need to serve him.
We long to be a church where every member is fully using his or her gifts to be agents of the gospel in Silicon Valley. I gave eight facts about spiritual gifts that are important to consider our of 1Corinthians 12. In case you couldn't write fast enough, here are the summary eight facts.

1. Spiritual Gifts belong to JESUS and his church, not to individuals. It’s the entire “body” (using Paul’s language) working together that operates as Christ’s physical expression. Jesus himself had ALL of the gifts. The church (broadly and historically) has that fullness of gifting by analogy… but each individual part is just a piece.
2. Gifts are different than natural talents. Talents come from God's common grace -- Distributed broadly, even outside the Christian community for transforming culture (vs.) the Holy Spirit's special gifting of grace -- transforming the world through the church.
3. Gifts are different than spiritual fruit. Fruit is character (all of them growing in all Christians) (vs.) different gifts for each person. A person with a gift of wisdom may be still immature in their compassion and patience.
4. Gifts are different than our walk with God. A variety given to all Christians, sometimes in spite of our weaknesses. Not something that we “have” innately, but an application of salvation, it’s the super-abundance of God’s grace. Gifts can operate a bit even without growth in maturity. That could be dangerous, often is a cover-up for a declining Christian life.
5. Gifts don’t negate Christian duties. For example, the gift of celibacy: life-long gift of a few (Paul for example). A duty of every unmarried Christian, however, as long as they are in that state.
6. Gifts are found in clusters. Combinations of gifts affect the person’s use of them. Pastor-teacher, Preacher-teacher, Preacher-Leader, Wisdom-teacher, Pastor-encourager. ALL might end up as an ordained minister, but they would have very different kinds of ministries and churches.
7. Gifts can work through weakness. Because they are the SPIRIT’s gift, they can go around someone’s weaknesses. Example: Charles Spurgeon, arguably the greatest 19th century preacher was converted by an untrained deacon.
8. KEY: Gifts must have a Gospel oriented impact. They bear growth and change in other people in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit works his relational truth through people’s gifts.
   VERSE 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. The key evaluative question, according to this passage, is: “is Jesus exalted?” by this service?
   Remember, the Holy Spirit is truth oriented. His gifts bring the greater truth about Jesus and the redeeming of the world into the existing world.

DISCUSS: Do you have a story of God working through you despite your natural weakness? Do you have questions about what your spiritual gifts might be? Respond! Also, this coming Sunday, we'll look at how to discover your spiritual gifts for use in ministry.