Ft. Campbell Navigators Ministry

The Battle is What Unites Us and Heals Us

2012-01-26T00:24:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a Great CHRIST-mas and good New years as well...

Looking forward to a great new year of ministry..

The Battle is what Unites Us

Sharing some thought from my biblestudy this past week with our STS team at Campbell….

We are doing our STS study through Acts and we just finished Chapters 3-4…

I just wanted to share some thoughts from chapter 4.

Acts 4:23-35

23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.' 27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus." 31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Everyone is looking to develop this kind of community among believers… they early church had it-

BUT…..

It was the result of a focus, concentration, and direction toward meeting the mission. The Apostles were about making disciples and bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to EVERYONE. They set the stage and set the face and the direction to focus on this mission- everyone who bought in and threw their lot in with them- understood this AND they wanted this too. Therefore, everyone looked after each others’ needs because they saw the mission as being the most important- so they looked out for each other- so that each one could continue with a focus on the mission.

Also…the banding together and engaging in this mission together is what built the foundation for the community as well. Its amazing too- to see and experience the building of trust- which is the mortar that holds the community together is built through the working together in ministry and in our pursuit of Jesus Christ… together, with each other.

It even solves a lot of conflict that unfortunately plagues every group of people- even those in churches, even those involved in ministries such as ours…

Jim Downing, one of the great leaders of the Navigators ministry, wrote in his book, Living Legacy, “Although the Navigator family was exceptionally close, there were some wounded souls who felt like they were outsiders and second-class citizens. They were only healed as they banded together and bonded in new spiritual battles, of which there was an abundance of opportunity.” (Living Legacy 2007 Navpress)

Community was built through the focus on Christ’s Mission.

The Engagement in the Mission builds Trust

Trust is built among people in the community that CHOOSE to focus on the Mission of Christ together with those who are engaged in it.

So…

Are you engaged in the Mission?

Are battling along with others who are engaged in the Mission?

The Need for Training

2011-11-28T22:24:00.000-06:00

MORE Training is NEEDED

Just wanted to share with everyone an email I received from a good friend of mine, Matthew Clark. Matthew is currently at Ft. Rucker, AL undergoing the rigors of flights school. At the same time, he is contributing to the Laborer led ministry at Ft. Rucker AL which is being led by Perry Alliman and Alan Simmons. Matthew has been with our ministry at Campbell for over 6 years and although it wasn't always the smoothest- Matthew has endured and has seized the essence of what the Vision of Jesus Christ is- Generations.....

And since Christ is about the Generations- we must train others...

And since we are looking to develop laborers who will labor for the rest of their lives- we must commit and invest in training...

I'm looking forward to continuing our search to find men like Matthew who God is working in and encouraging those guys at Ft. Rucker as they are doing a tremendous job!!!

[Matthew to Joe]

Ok so I think the ministry at Rucker is doing really well. Perry and Alan are focusing more on sharing vision more often and more consistently so there is no mistaking what we are about. Perry has grown into leading the ministry and has taken responsibility for the vision and direction. As a result he is continually upping the standards with the leadership and guys are continually rising to the challenge. I think a fear in the past was not to put too much on the guys because of the rigors of flight school but the guys are consistently rising to the challenge. We have a few very healthy guys and some up and comers as well as some fringe guys who are starting to poke their heads up. It is very exciting. We are also having an expanding impact with the AIT here and growing influence among the chaplains.

Perry has also changed his thinking into training the few rather than helping the whole. Most of our focus is directed towards the next generation of leaders and in turn encouraging them to take responsibility for the people in their group. A recurrence at Rucker is that there is no need to recruit. Guys come out of the woodwork to come to study. So we put guys in groups but the group leaders haven't necessarily taken responsibility for them in the past as they thought Perry or Alan would. With a growing emphasis on training the leaders the young guys are developing that responsibility. And as a result Rucker is becoming more a community rather than an additional study to attend.

There are so many challenges to TRADOC that I am not sure I can or will figure out in my remaining time here. But I am very encouraged by Perry's vision and direction. The ministry has changed faces dramatically since I've been here and all for the better. Christ continues to open doors and work in the hearts of the people here. One of the questions Perry and I have been praying about is the idea that we only have a short time with guys because of the schedule and length of flight school. I think in the past the idea has been we will do the best we can with the time but don't expect a whole lot. If a guy can do a quiet time when he leaves that's successful. Lately as Perry and I have been praying he has been asking why not. Why can we not start to train guys? Why are we not asking for guys who will be fully committed all the way through flight school? Why not give a guy everything instead of just some Bible Study and Quiet Time skills. Guys are very hungry for Christ down here and as Perry is figuring out how to train and communicate vision we are asking for committed guys who want to know Christ, not just attend the study. And God is giving us those guys.

I hope you all are encouraged by Matthew's email as I am....

"If you build it- they will come"- Field of Dreams

"If you play a Man's game- men will Come"- Cecil Bean

"If you focus on the Person of Jesus Christ- He will send you men that will pursue Him as you are"- me

Matt 11:25-30.... Jesus Revealing God through Challenging us to Labor

2011-10-19T17:15:00.000-05:00

Jesus Reveals God toUs… Jesus challenges uswith Laboring for God= THIS is what Hewanted to Reveal to us about God…

Matt 11:25-30 At that time Jesus said,"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hiddenthese things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 "All things have beencommitted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and noone knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to revealhim. 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will giveyou rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle andhumble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easyand my burden is light." NIV

Sharing some thoughts from my QT thispast week with our STS group…

Interesting thought for me as God isrevealing more to me about Him through Christ and through His Word. I never connected verses 25-27 to verses28-30. Verses 28-30 are REALLY popularwith most Christians- as most see it as God wanting to give us rest… one thingabout this one is that God’s idea of rest- that Jesus is telling us- is that HEwants to put on HIS yoke on OUR necks…. A yoke is a device placed on the necksof beasts of burden in order to harness their energy to do work—WE are those beastsof burden- God wants to harness our energy to do work- to labor for Him…

The first thing with this passage isthat God WANTS to hide some things from people- verses 25-26

Thenext thing is that in verse 27 we find that Jesus is telling us 4 things:

· No one knows theFather except the Son
· No one knows the Sonexcept the Father
· Jesus will be the oneto reveal God to us
· Jesus will be CHOOSINGthe people who He will reveal God to

Then He tellsus that He wants us to Labor for God and that this labor will be REST for us…

Connecting thedots….

Jesus isrevealing to us something about God- and that something is that God wants us toLabor. Therefore, those who labor- willbe understanding more and more about who God is and what He is about- we willunderstand God more in a way that others will not- since they are not joiningin on the labor for God…

THIS is whatGod wants to hide from people…

Is that IF wewant to KNOW God and Understand Him- then we must Labor for Him…

There are alot of implications that go along with this too...

One of them is that... IF we don't labor- then we won't know God- and this may be because we are resisting Jesus revealing God to us through us laboring...

SO... if we don't labor- that may mean that we DON'T want to Know God...

Navigators Military SE Regional Conference 2011

2011-09-07T13:32:00.000-05:00

Our SouthEastern Regional conference kicked off with a strong message and theme about Laboring for the Cause of Christ and bringing to fulfillment what was on God's mind to reach the world.

One of the slides from our 1st talk of the weekend that centered on Vision and how each one of us can be part of bringing God's objectives to fruition. God said what He wanted to see happen in:

1 Tim 2:3-4 This is good an pleases God our savior who wants all

men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth.

If we are going to be part of meeting God's objective here- we must accept the Lordship of Christ. That means WHATEVER is on Christ's mind- what He wants to do..... how He wants to do it.... that is what we are to do....

Then we must realize that we are sent by God on a mission.... the mission is Matt 28:18-20

Since we are charged with a mission to accomplish- we MUST mature and grow and develop into laborers and REAL disciples of Jesus Christ. As we are growing through the Basics of the Christian life- we must also be growing in 3 roles.... those roles are:

Ambassador- A Representative of God bringing a Message of reconciliation to others
Recruiter- A Representative of God that pulls other Christians in to join in on the mission
Trainer/ Disicplemaker- A Representative of God who is able to train, develop, and mature believers to become the same thing he is.... a fisher of men Matt 4:19

IF.... we mature....

then we will be able to reproduce spiritually.

If we reproduce spiritually, then we will be able to meet God's objectives that He showed us He wanted in 1 Tim 2:3-4.

This is the strategy and gameplan installed by Christ for us to use.....

Can we come up with another plan?? Probably- but Christ outlined this pattern for us...

We must accept the Mission because this mission is given to all those who believe.

so....

Great time at this years Fall South East Military conference. I had a great time talking with several people about this topic and helping them understand how they might speak vision to their fellow Christians around them that have not yet joined in on the 'War Effort'. The need is urgent and our task is daunting.... but our Lord is MORE than a match.... He has ALL AUTHORITY (Matt 28:18) and He has ALREADY OVERCOME THE WORLD (John 16:33)

So...

consider how you might join in with us in the war effort....

Get in the Word...

Get trained...

Find a worthy man...

Exciting and Terrifying!!

2011-07-13T12:56:00.001-05:00

Exciting and Terrifying all at the Same Time!!

Great conversation with one our young soldiers attending biblestudy at our Soldiers Chapel study. This particular soldier was led to Christ by a chaplain and was referred to us to begin discipling him and helping him grow to maturity in his pursuit of Christ.

“John” (as we’ll call him) just started coming to the biblestudy and one of our biblestudy group leaders has been encouraging him to continue spending time in the Word in daily quiet time and also in investing in biblestudy. As John continued doing biblestudy- he realized more and more how he was to look to God to answer questions for him such as “should I get out of the army?” or “does God want me to move my family somewhere else to reach out to people who are not being reached?” Great questions!!

John’s response to it all was that he was excited to realize that God could be directing him toward what GOD WANTED FOR THEM and to realize that he needed to submit more and more to God’s directing rather than directing things for himself and for his own thoughts and desires. But John also said that it was terrifying as he saw more and more that ‘someone else’ would be doing the directing and not him…

“Its Exciting and terrifying all at the same time!!” John exclaimed at biblestudy that evening…

“John” eventually deployed and is currently overseas. We’re hoping and praying that God will put us in touch with more and more soldiers like “John” who have a hunger to meet Christ and know Him personally and submit to Christ’s call and direction for their lives….

As Peter told Christ so many years ago… "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."- John 6:68-69

At Ft. Campbell, we are creating an atmosphere where soldiers can discover these truths and find a face to face, personal interaction with Christ…. And eventually come to the same realization that Peter did in those days that Christ walked with the 12 disciples…

Then we encourage them and challenge to take the plunge and begin the adventure of laboring for Christ wherever He might take them…

The Art of Sending

2011-04-18T11:43:00.001-05:00

Team Campbell and Friends…

Our STS team at the Campbell Ministry has been steadily studying through the Book of Luke…

Always a great time to study the Gospels and take a closer, investigative look into the life of Jesus Christ and take inventory of what things each of us has made a priority versus the things that Jesus has given us insight into what the Heavenly Father considers as a priority.

One of the things that Jesus made a heavy priority was the training and sending out of His disciples. Jesus invests a large amount of time modeling for the disciples what to do and how to go about doing it…. And then He sends them out to get out there and gain some experience in ‘laboring’ for the Kingdom while also making a heavy impact toward taking ground from Satan and beating back where he has formerly controlled regions and areas in people’s hearts and minds…

Just wanted to share a few points from James C’s devotional before our STS study as we went over Luke 10 just last week…

The 6 I’s of Sending...

· INVOLVED- Jesus involved the disciples in the process of laboring and fishing for the Kingdom- Lk 10:1

· IDENTIFY needs- Jesus saw the need for laborers for the harvest and communicated to the disciples the great need Lk 10:2

· INFORMED them of the dangers- Jesus told them that they would be sent out like sheep among wolves Lk 10:3

· IGNITED a sense of urgency- Jesus told the disciples to move out quickly and not stop on the road and avoid distractions to get out to the places to interact in the villages Lk 10:4

· INTRUCTED them with a course of action- Jesus told them how to go about being received and what to do when they were rejected Lk 10:10

· ILLUMINATED the difference between majors and minors- Lk 10:17 Jesus was excited for them but continued to keep them focused on what to be truly excited about

Jesus told us in Matt 4:19 “Come follow Me and I will MAKE you Fishers of men”

As followers of Christ- we OUGHT to be becoming skilled in the art of sending out others and training others to be sent out- as we must also be interacting with others around us for Christ as well.

If you are finding yourself unskilled and fumbling as a ‘fisher of men’… it may mean a re-prioritization of time is in order and a re-determining of who you spend your time with is in order as well…

The pattern Jesus sets as an example for us is a more mature believer guides us an trains us for the battle- we must therefore make diligent effort to find these people and ensure that we are getting as much time with them as possible so that they can train us- much in the manner as Jesus trained the 12 Disciples too…

Some thoughts from One of our Team mates overseas..

2011-01-10T14:49:00.002-06:00

Team Campbell and Friends,

Just wanted to share a quick email from one of our guys overseas, Drew M.
Drew has been involved with us for 2+ years now and has caught an infectious desire to bring Christ to others and be involved with reaching the world for Christ through the multiplication of Disciplemakers and Laborers...
I just wanted to share with you guys a few thoughts that he sent me recently:

Dude...
I cannot explain what God has in stored for us. I was reading in my q.t. yesterday and I came across this verse in Deuteronomy 1:8. " See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers-to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and their descendants after them." I have been thinking about the word possession. This word is used frequently in the old testament. Joe, when you said about having a Disciple and a labor in every Battalion on Campbell, it hit me that morning that God wants us to possess the Land. GO-GET IT! It starts with the insiders (Jeff V, myself and others) I did some research and there are 32 Battalions at Campbell. That is going to be a lot lot of work but I am standing by Jeremiah 32: 17 "Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you" We have promises by God himself to back this up! I really believe this Joe! I am encouraged that the LEADERS have instilled in us the vision and how important it to take hold of it.

Thank your for lending your ear bro and I cannot wait for you to mentor me in a much effective way!

Love you,

Team Campbell and Friends.......
Drew's excitement and desire reminds me of Caleb in the OT when the other guys gave a bad report about the land that they had spied out and that God has given them.

Num 13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Caleb was confident that they could take the land- no matter what was in their path BECAUSE God was with them. His fellow brother spies however responded in fear despite Joshua and Caleb's urging to go up to take the land. And..... the Israelites paid for their discouragement, fear, and inaction with their lives.

Team Campbell and Friends....
Our task and vision for Ft. Campbell is ambitious and challenging- but our God is BIG AND POWERFUL...... and on OUR SIDE. Therefore- our vision to reach Ft. Campbell and put a laboring disciple in every battalion is reachable and attainable.

Do you want to be part of reaching and changing the world for Christ??
We are starting here at Campbell.....

Reading the book "Living Legacy"

2010-12-23T00:28:00.002-06:00

Team Campbell and Friends....
Our STS team finished the year reading the book "Living Legacy"
Written by Jim Downing to celebrate the 75 year anniversary of the Navigators Ministry.
Here are a few points that people drew out as we read it and discussed it together.
If you have not had a chance to read it- I highly recommend it as it will give you each an idea of how the Navigators ministry started and what it took to get this tremendous work off the ground and running to where it is today....
The book is divided into 2 parts.
The first part covering Dawson Trotman- the founder of the Navigators
The second part covering Lorne Sanny- the leader who took over after Daws died

Part I

The book presented Daws as Human- Lindsey Stone
Daws recognized that it Was God who did all the work- Jake
Daws was assured of the Promises of God- Mercy
Jim had every reason to never come back to Daws and the ministry since he felt offended, but he DID return- Joe
Daws prioritized laborers at the cost of casualties- Matthew
Depending on how much we put into it is what God allows us to produce- Jake
Simple Mission: Christ + maturity- Jake
Daws made the mission simple- find one man, help him grow to where he can help another- Caleb
Daws knew what God gave him and made no apologies for his weaknesses but was never satisfied with the state of things- Matthew
The sovereignty of God is what started things and what continued things- Mercy
Daws passion and Vision changed people's lives- Matthew

Part II

The mentality that Daws created was that everyone was responsible for everything- Matthew
Jim's perspective on the ministry: "The Navigators were on the front lines, waging spiritual warfare, releasing captives out of darkness, and equipping them and enlisting them in spiritual battle" - Jake
Daws perfectionist attitude caused him to be a micro-manager, we need to be careful not to fall into this trap- Joe
Having a 'protector' like Jim was for Lorne is key to our survival- Joe
The community that they had, re-emphasizes for me what the environment can do for ministry- Andrew V
Lorne modeled submission to God, He was an undershepherd to the Great Shepherd- Jake
Quote from page 80 "Although the Navigator family was exceptionally close, there were some wounded souls who felt like they were outsiders and second-class citizens. They were only healed as they banded together and bonded in new spiritual battles, of which there was an abundance of opportunity" - Joe

John 14

2010-11-02T20:02:00.002-05:00

Greetings Team Campbell and Friends....

Our STS team went over John 14 last night. I've posted a few of the thoughts from our discussion. I hope each of you guys are getting and taking opportunity to do some digging in the Word- especially these particular chapters alongside with us.

Seeing Jesus IS seeing God.
The miracles were to establish Christ's credibility- not to PROVE God- but they were show the people why they should listen to Christ. Victor P/Matthew C
Obedience to God = Loving God
Loving Christ = Obeying Christ's commands
Jesus tells the 12D that He DOES intend to only reveal Himself to those who are willing to be obedient- not to everyone else.... vs.22-23
This 'peace' promised to them is different from the OT version of peace
Seems that Jesus is saying one of the main reasons I'm going to the Cross is not only to take care of the sin issue for us- but to show the world- I WILL AND AM OBEDIENT TO THE FATHER

Hope these thoughts will drive you each to look at the Word closer and investigate more and more who is Christ and what did He say and want....

John 13

2010-10-26T13:29:00.002-05:00

Team Campbell and Friends...

Our STS team just went over John 13 and though we did go over the scheduled time- it made for outstanding discussion...

A few high points and questions that were drawn out:

Experience is what drives teaching more than teaching driving the experience. –James Carter

Consider verse 30: is that a spiritual or physical element? Is it really night time?
ver 34-35 consider the different loves, and is this really a new commandment or really is it in the Leviticus 19:18? So what is new about this? It was the way that Jesus demonstrated it. Are they different “loves?” When do we give up our lives for others? Is that what we are encouraged to do in the New Testament verse the Old Testament? Or was there something that Jesus did for the 11-12 that he didn’t do with the masses?
Jesus didn’t ask about the new command but asked about where he was going. They might have just been scared to be alone but he might be forcing them to actually having to do it. We will have victories and then we will fall. The most growth comes after a big fall. –Victor Pedilla
“What do I need to do to extend God’s love more than just putting someone through a program" - William
When Jesus says "A new command I give you..." why does He say its a NEW command?- Jonathan Bennett
Possibly a failure in fellowship- none of the other disciples knew what Judas was thinking or about to do...
- Joe E

Just a few thoughts from the chapter...
Feel free to respond to these or add your own thoughts as well...

”

John 13-17

2010-10-19T14:18:00.002-05:00

Team Campbell....... and friends...

Our STS team is going over John 13-17 in our STS biblestudy.
We did the overview last night....

Feel free to post any thoughts or comments even if you have not had a chance to do the study yourself- I want to create an atmosphere to share and fellowship over these particular chapters even if you guys haven't had a chance to do the study yet.
These chapters are Chock full of good stuff....
Some thoughts from our STS team last night

Jesus continues to show how to point us to His Father
Jesus continue to show that He is living and manuevering to bring glory to God (visibility to God)
From John 20:31- this is the reason why John wrote this all..... 'that we might believe in Christ and have life in His name'
This chapter starts in the Room where they are eating the Passover and ends in the Garden of Gethsamane
Interesting webpage talking about the Passover meal- for those interested in doing more research on this topic...... http://www.differentspirit.org/articles/passover_meal.php

Hope you guys are all able to chime in with a thought or two...
Happy digging...

SE Navigators Military conference

2010-10-15T10:42:00.003-05:00

The following is a post that I sent for our Ft. Campbell Ministry contacts....

Team Campbell,

Great time this weekend at the SE Navigators Military Conference in Toccoa GA.

Toccoa… Currahhee!!! For some of you folks….

Ministries from Ft. Bragg, Benning, Campbell, Knox, Rucker, Stewart and Eglin Airforce base, Hurlburt AFB and a few other Airforce and even Navy ministries joined us.

About 201 total people….

A few high points of the conference…

Chuck Wood talked about several key points: We must grow in our Commitment, Competence, and Connectedness to Christ and our Brothers and sisters…

In the parable of the Talents (matt 25) … God’s idea of reward= more given responsibility

God gave talents according to their ability

Those who were faithful with what was given to them- God gave more…

We must be leveraging our assets (time, money, relationships… etc.) for the expansion and progression of the Kingdom of god

A few other blurbs from others at the conference:

“God will not be known casually” …. Bill Mason

“The community that we have here is outstanding and encouraging” … James Carter

“Jesus is fundamental in the Basics”… Ben Kayser

“Deliberate practice is what separates the world class athletes from the good athletes”… Joseph Peer

“The only way to get 7 years of experience, is to go through 7 years of experience”… Chuck Wood

“Vision is what gives purpose and motivation to the Basics of the Christian life”… Joe Ebuen

“I’m following Christ despite my shortcomings, insecurities, and what happened in my childhood”… Matthew Clark

"Do not attach your ego to the process"... Chuck Wood

One of the things that really encouraged me as well was to hear a couple of our younger single soldiers talk about how they wanted to take some serious time contemplating how and if they were truly faithful , available, and teachable to Christ. Guys were walking away challenged and considering how they might look to be more committed to Christ and what ways were they not allowing themselves to be fully committed to Jesus.

All in all... an outstanding time in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please feel free to post any thoughts or questions from the conference.

Even if you didn't go... please feel free to ask about it further and I will post some more thoughts from me and any of our other speakers.

The Sovereignty of God and My Response to it

2010-07-20T10:18:00.005-05:00

One of the things that Cecil Bean and I talked about as we were down in Savannah GA visiting them was how a 'true-er' understanding of the Sovereignty of God is crucial in helping us continuing to grow and advance in our pursuit of Christ.
One of the major things that cuts down many of us as Christians is bitterness. In our particular ministry and the style of how we do ministry- we are attempting to do things as Christ did in 'picking' our 12 and our core 3 and even our 1 and focusing on them and training them. So.... what happens when I am not one of the 1 picked?? Or even one of the 3.... or even one of the 12 or 70 for that matter? As I see it- we have 2 choices. We can get angry and bitter.... Either at God or at the particular person who did not 'pick' us. But, if we believe that God is in control of everything- meaning that He is SOVEREIGN and that He is orchestrating everything- then I can't get angry with people- ultimately I MUST get angry with God. It doesn't make any sense to... but the 'correct' place to direct my anger and frustration is toward God- not toward people- because God is 'using' people to do a work in my life and to refine me as well. And the 'me not getting picked' experience may be an issue of refinement that God is insisting that I need to go through so that the pride in my heart and mind can begin to melt away. David has a great picture of understanding this...

2 Sam 16:9-10 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head." But the king said, "What do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, 'Curse David,' who can ask, 'Why do you do this?'"

As David and his entourage are fleeing the kingdom because of Absalom coming to possibly kill them all- Shimei comes out to curse David and pelt them with stones. David's right hand man, Abishai tells David- let me go over there and take care of this 'dead dog'.... But David says- He may be doing it because God is making him do it- so how can I get mad at the guy- when it may be God's doing?

So the question we need to be asking ourselves is.... "God, what are you trying to teach me through this incident with this person?" Rather than simply playing the highschool game of 'that person just doesn't like me that's why they are doing this or that'. It would make things alot easier on us to go with the latter- but God is expecting and demanding more of us- He is demanding maturity and we cannot mature if we continue to play highschool and excuse ourselves from allowing God to point out issues in our lives that need refining.

Chongs Road Trip 2010.. The Final Destination

2010-05-13T15:16:00.002-05:00

Chongs Road Trip 2010
The Final Destination…

Below is an excerpt from my FB post about our final leg to move the Chongs household goods to Ft. Lewis, WA as they are now moving there to lead the Navigator Ministry at Ft. Lewis.

We arrived at the Stroud’s Home late last night…
Had a little vehicle trouble- we made it over and above a bunch of those things we call ‘mountains’.
The rental truck the Chongs had was also towing their Xterra. So… after going over all those mountains with a full truck and towing their SUV- it was about time that the truck was getting a bit tired. Engine overheating and some transmission fluid leak- so we stopped to let the engine cool. We dropped the Xterra and drove it to alleviate the tonnage that the truck was towing and things turned out better.
We prayed for continued overwatch and intervention by God to bring us there safely and we made it….

One of the things we discussed as we were traveling… I shared my QT thoughts with the guys.

I am currently reading NKJV this year:
But the verse that caught my attention:
2 Tim 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

The reason why this verse caught me was that I never really read this in light of verse 2…. We all KNOW verse 2….
And the things you have heard me say, in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

I never considered verse 3 in light of verse 2… but I guess I should- it puts it in context.
The operative word for me was THEREFORE in verse 3…. So it says… because of verse 2… I need to live like verse 3.
Since I am supposed to live and DO verse 2… make disciples- things are going to be tough, we are each doing this mission while still at war spiritually with Satan…….
Therefore I have to continue to press on with the mission of making disciples for Christ despite all the issues of warfare that will befall a soldier…
The things that will befall a soldier in battle- casualties, hardships, hunger, sleep deprivation, rank-ism… whatever… these things will happen to a soldier in war. Therefore- they must endure in order to accomplish the mission….
We are at war as well…. Spiritually speaking…. So we must endure too… because these things will happen as well to us- spiritually speaking…
So… we must each not allow the things that befall a soldier to prevent us from pressing on toward accomplishing the mission of making disciples for Christ- this is the pressing issue- because making disciples and bringing the Message of Christ to the maximum number of people- that is the pressing need for a hurt and hopeless world.

Despite the length of the trip and losing some sleep- it was actually an outstanding time…
A great time of fellowship- while simultaneously taking the opportunity to help a great friend and co-laborer as well.

Hope you guys will take some time to remember the Chongs in prayer as they take charge of leading the ministry at Ft. Lewis. May God add a hundred more couples like Mike and Liz to us at Campbell so that we can continue to train and develop them to send them out to lead and make disciples….

Spiritual Transformation

2010-02-26T23:28:00.002-06:00

Spiritual Transformation involves the entire change of a person because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. Rather than simply cleaning up a person’s life- we are building up from the ground up- a person who is now a new creation because of Christ.
As we disciple men and women at Ft. Campbell- the foundation of what we do centers on Christ. We cannot expect to do anything to truly help someone unless they have Christ in their lives- unless they have committed to follow Him. If this is not in place- anything we do is ultimately not going to truly help the person- these things will simply be bandages that are attempting to hold back a wound that is much more serious than a simple superficial cut or scrape.
Because we realize this- one of the key questions that we as a ministry attempt to bring out is if the person we are attempting to help and disciple has ever made a commitment to follow Christ or prayed to receive Christ. If the person is uncertain about this- then we will talk with them more about the bridge illustration or the John 14:6 illustration and help them to see why they need to have a relationship with Christ and receive Him into their hearts. Once this is done- then we can begin building the basics of the Christian life into their own lives. Though many times we have also realized that as we help soldiers build the basics of the Christian life into their own lives- many have realized that they were NOT following Christ or were NOT really Christians in the first place- and then they step forward to make that commitment.
As we are building the basics of the Christian life into the lives of our new and young disciples- one of things we have begun emphasizing more is the idea of a new identity. One of the passages I love to share with our men about this idea is in 2 Cor 5.
2 Cor 5:15-20 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
I center on verse 17 to emphasize to our young believer that Christ has now made them into a new creation. They are no longer what they were before- that means whatever they used to be like, whatever they used to do, whatever they used to think about- that mindset is now going to change- because they are no longer that person that they were before because Christ has changed them. The question that I always get next is “What does that life look like?” My response to them is in verse 15 and 20. First I tell them that while they would live life to please themselves before- now verse 15 says we must live for God because Christ bought us by His blood. Then… we must live as ambassadors for Christ. We are being sent out into ‘foreign lands’ as envoys from God to connect and re-connect with people and tell them that our king not only wants to begin ‘diplomatic relationships’ with them- but He wants to know each of them personally- that is the new job description that we have undertaken along with our new identity.
As we have continued this work at Campbell- one of the things we have noticed more and more of is soldiers coming from broken families and a myriad of symptoms that have resulted in hampering our men because of these situations. One of the more common ones is that many of our young disciples feel they are simply too broken, too scarred, too messed up to be used by God to help another. I feel that God has empowered me to motivate and encourage these men by first communicating to them that they are loved and cared for. In Mark 4:38- the disciples were worried that they would drown. They woke up Christ not saying that they doubted if He had the power to save them- they doubted His DESIRE TO CARE for them. They said “Do you not care that we are perishing?” This is the conflict with many broken people- they don’t believe that someone cares for them. If they don’t believe that God truly cares for them- then they will be too afraid to do anything because they feel as if they are jumping out of an airplane without a reserve and the primary doesn’t look very good as well.
One of the things that I have been trying to emphasize with our men is that God DOES care for them and wants to intervene and be involved in their lives- even down to the minute by minute things that they do. He is not distant- He is not far away- He is not uninvolved. He is close, nearby, and engaged in what is happening with His people. I have made it a point to share my testimony with guys on how I’ve experienced similar feelings as they have- but I also share with them how I’ve pleaded with God for intervention and how He has delivered in bringing me help and grace. One of the verse I really enjoy sharing with our men is Proverbs 21:1 The kings heart is in the hand of the Lord- He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. So God can and does intervene- I have to realize that He wants to and that He has good for me in mind.
As I continue to reinforce this in their minds- I also challenge them to take a step out there and ‘make a play’ for Christ on the field. In this case- in their units and in their barracks. As our young disciples are solidifying their understanding of being a new creation and living life as a new creation- on of the more powerful transformation things they experience as well is when they see God using them to affect the lives of other men at their units. As our men see this- the not only understand John 15:16 by Word- they understand it by experience. Once this begins to happen- the doors are now wide open for them to truly grasp and experience what living as a new creation can entail.

Discontent

2010-02-11T15:10:00.002-06:00

The Idea of Discontent that I shared at our last rally and at Rio Grande University in OH seems to be creating a buzz.....
In not too many ways...
The Idea of discontent is very similar to the idea of 'hunger'
If you are 'hungry' for something- you will do something to satisfy that hunger- whether its spiritual hunger or physical...
In the physical context you might go grab a cookie...
In the spiritual context it might move you to start reading your bible or to seek a spiritual mentor

I've attached some notes on the topic from the recent rally and Rio Grande talk
Hope it continues to stir up good movement and progress in maturing in you walk with Christ.

Notes from Last months Rally and Rio Grande Talk concerning the idea of Discontent

Discontent- longing for something more or better than the present
1. Paul talks about being content in all situations in Philippians- not the same idea- we are combating the attitude of complacency
2. If you are satisfied with how things are- satisfied with how the world is, satisfied with how you life is, satisfied with what your current walk with God looks like- then you won’t do anything
3. But if you are DIS-satisfied with how things are- you will do something about it- you will do something to change how things currently are…
4. If you are discontent with your walk with God or lack of- you will seek out God- whether its going back to church for the first time in a long time, whether its committing to reading the bible everyday, whether its seeking someone to help you- you will do what it takes if you are uncomfortable enough- if you are dissatisfied enough
5. Matt 4:19-20 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
a. Why are these men so willing to give up their jobs to follow Jesus?
b. 21st century- fishing is a pastime- not so back then
c. They are looking for something more…..
6. Unless you arrive at the point where you are dissatisfied with how things are right now in your own walk with God- you won’t respond to bring about change- and you will continue living out a mundane life…
7. Something to consider…..
a. Praying that God would make you and I dissatisfied with how our current walk with God looks like- so that it would spur on change and growth
b. Praying that God would make our friends and family dissatisfied with their current walk with God or lack thereof- so that it would spur on change and growth

Selection

2010-01-11T22:13:00.002-06:00

We just began going through the book, The MasterPlan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman.
In it… Coleman outlines Jesus’ plan to reach the World for God. His plan- train a few … invest in them in such a way that they will be driven to do the same. Coleman breaks down Jesus’ strategy in find these men and discipling them to become disciplemakers.

The first step that Coleman talks about in Chapter 1 is Selection.

The following are thoughts that came from our STS biblestudy group as we discussed chapter 1.

Selection- the choosing of men to train and invest in who will be capable of leading and training others for the cause of Christ
Is it worth doing?" "Is it getting the job done?" –questions that Coleman challenges us to ask in our churches and ministries in order to see if the activities we are doing and involved with- are actually meeting Christ’s goal of making disciples who are actively pursuing Christ, walking with God, and attempting to disciple others around them
What are the criteria that Jesus used to ‘choose’ His men?
They were willing to learn…
They were willing to give up everything to follow Christ- Matt 4:20 … at once they left their nets and followed Him…
They were looking for more…
They were frustrated with the current model of what it mean to ‘follow God’
The helping of a few ensures that we are ‘multiplying’ the people who will be able to lead others- therefore investing in a few allows us to help a larger number of people because we train others to be leaders who can help others…
It seems like the bottom line of what Coleman was trying to illustrate is how each of us can do a similar practice is investing in a few men rather than attempting to help everyone at once- invest in a few and train them effectively, affect them deeply, and then send them out to reach others in their own spheres

What are your thoughts on Coleman’s idea of ‘selection?’

How have you seen Jesus using this principle as He was beginning His ministry?

What are your thoughts on attempting to apply this principle yourself?

Do you have questions about trying to apply this principle in your ministry context?

What has God used to mature you???

2009-10-07T20:53:00.001-05:00

First of all…..
Great Question……
Can’t answer it all in just a phone text…
Andrew M. ….one of our young guys in the ministry that is growing in leaps and bounds texted me today a question "What has God used to mature me?"
He asked me another great question- but one at time….
By far- what God has used to mature me…. is using me as His tool to disciple and train others. It has been such and exciting and challenging adventure- not always on the joyous side- or should I say happy-side. But it has definitely been the most fulfilling and growing things that God has ever done with me.
I can see the reason why it has cause me to grow so much is because when I am discipling another- when I am training another- I no longer think selfishly about myself- I am progressively growing more and more concerned about what I can do to help this other person that I am discipling grow more and more and get to a point where they are developing spiritual "OWNERSHIP" of their own relationship with God. Ownership- meaning they are taking personal responsibility to make things happen- they are no longer waiting for someone to do things- they are no longer waiting for someone to challenge them to read their bible- they are no longer waiting for someone to challenge them to find someone to help and disciple- they are doing all these things because they themselves realize that this is between them and God. THEY have to be the ones to say in

Josh 24:15 … " choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

I don’t care what anyone else does… I am going to serve Jesus Christ. Helping someone get to this point- and then helping them see how God can use them and then equipping them with the skills and confidence so that they can do that- man………. No greater feeling!!!
I had to get a point first where I had to make a decision- am I going to be a spectator Christian- or am I going to be in the trenches allowing God to use me powerfully in the lives of others. Sure God could use me- if he could use a donkey to speak to Balaam- He can use anyone and anything- but what I am talking about is making a commitment to :
1. Get training- so that I can mature and grow
2. Get training- -so that I can disciple others and train them to disciple others
So… getting to a point where Luke 9:23-24 (Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. ) was a REAL action in my life and I was sacrificing all my personal hopes and dreams to do things like become a doctor… make stupid amounts of money… all those things are literally and figuratively dying inside me as I am realizing that those are all empty pursuits and that if I REALLY wanted to help people- I needed to be involved with helping them with the ETERNITY question…. Making that commitment and allowing those ‘dreams and aspirations’ to die- that was a huge growth step for me…. A tough one… but a really huge one and fulfilling one.
So many other lessons too that I have learned as God has been using me to disciple others that is growing my relationship and dependence on Him…
One of them is how I was (am) so excited to help someone grow and/ or lead them to Christ- that I would do everything in my power to help them- but I realized that 1 Cor 3:7-11 is what the reality is:

1 Cor 3:7-11 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

So.. If I were really going to make a difference in people’s lives- I needed to work where God was already working- so that translated to committing to spend time with people who God was really tugging at their heart AND they were responding positively to that as well. God tugs at everyone’s heart- but not all of us truly respond positively- sometimes its really hard to figure out if someone is truly responding- because their words say they do… but I’ve realized that it is a person’s ACTIONS that truly determine what they are ultimately SAYING from their heart. I thought that if I simply spent enough time with someone- being their friend- they would eventually be as excited for the cause of Christ as I was- it was/is NOT true. And it cost me a year of my life figuring this out- and it almost burnt me out eternally too… all this before I was even 25 years old….
But I realized about myself is that I DO WANT to invest personally with everyone- but I just don’t have the time and energy- physical energy and emotional energy to invest with everyone- especially with someone who in the end can simply turn around and say they are really not that interested in Christ- but that they did like me as a person… which is cool- and I know God can use it to draw this person more to Him. But as a STEWARD of this body- a steward of ME- I have to use ME in the most effective way possible for the mission of Christ- and that is to invest in relationships where God is working and where that person is responding positively and aggressively toward knowing Christ and fulfilling the mission of Christ.
So… realizing this about myself and positioning myself in such a way as to allow God to "deploy" this weapon as best as He sees fit- that was a huge growing thing for me…
So much more… but I’ll end there… ask me some more…
I love talking about (writing I guess…) it all and showing how Christ is the difference in my life….

Will Real Determination please stand up?

2009-08-03T09:13:00.002-05:00

Its been a little bit of break and I apologize.... but moving forward...

Found something that I’ve haven’t seen before in my biblestudy. I was going through 2 Peter 1 during our leaders biblestudy on Monday night. This is one of my favorite chapters in the bible and includes the ‘Pyramid Qualties’ that one of my mentors, Cecil Bean loves to share about.

2 Peter 1:3-11
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So many great points in this passage:
A few points:

God has ALREADY given us everything we NEED for life and Godliness vs. 3
It is through these PROMISES we will be able to participate Godliness and life vs.4
We must have the qualities in INCREASING measure vs.8
IF we have these qualities in increasing measure- it will prevent us from becoming useless vs.8

All great points… and I could talk about each one of these all day too…
But the one thing that I discovered differently this time came from vs. 5 ….

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge …

In doing some word study on these words- the one that was INTERESTING to me was on goodness. Many versions exchange moral excellence for goodness. When I looked up the word goodness- the word virtue came up. In delving into what the word virtue means- one of the interesting words used to describe this word virtue was valor. Valor? You know… the heroic quality of not wanting to give up- determination.
In Peter’s listing of these qualities- they are all progressive- or they build up on one another… first start with faith- next add VALOR…. Next add …. So on, and so forth….
But it is interesting Peter says to add Valor or Determination to our faith… and I think he is really on to something. The reality is that we ARE going to undergo adversity. Whether it is from the onslaught of Satan, the attacks from belligerent non-christians, our own stupid decisions, or God refining us- we are going to go through adversity. So …. Peter says that IF we are going to survive and thrive as followers of Christ- the first thing we are going to have to add to our faith is DETERMINATION.

Even Jesus says in John 16:33 … in this world you WILL have trouble. But take heart- I have overcome the world!” Jesus makes clear to the disciples and to all of us- we WILL have trouble. We can take heart that Christ has already overcome the world, but we have to be determined to live for Christ as we are still living in the world.

This determination is something I have RARELY seen in Christians nowadays. Many are beaten, depressed, fatigued… insert any other downtrodden descriptive word here. I’m not certain if it is a result of our world progressively getting worse, a symptom of broken families and abuse at home, or even a result of our modern Christianity- where toughness and grit are a thing of the past. Where beauty and intimacy with Christ are emphasized- the ideas of courage and toughness and resolve have disappeared into the past.
Oh for the days of Joshua…. Where he boldly declared to the rest of the Israelites “I don’t care what the rest of you guys do…” (Joe’s version ofcourse..) Josh 24:14 … “But as for me and my household, WE WILL serve the Lord.”

If we are going to survive and then thrive in our pursuit of Jesus Christ- we are going to have to build and aspire to this same type of determination that Godly men of the Bible have demonstrated.
We are going to have to DETERMINE to remain in the Word.
We are going to have to DETERMINE to influence others to Christ and not be influenced to other things.
We are going to have to DETERMINE to forge relationships with people who will sharpen us and not just hang out with us.
We are going to have to DETERMINE that our pursuit of Christ is priority over everything else in our lives.

DETERMINE today that you will spend quality time with Christ. DETERMINE today that you will work at your job as if working for Christ. DETERMINE today that you will share Christ with a schoolmate or co-worker. DETERMINE today that you will be part of the work in discipling others rather than standing on the sidelines...

Determing to labor with Christ along with you...

Serving up Spaghetti and Truth

2009-04-06T22:07:00.003-05:00

We had a soldier join us at our recurring weekly outreach dinner. It was exciting particularly for one of our regular attending soldiers- who had approached this ‘new’ soldier "Bill". Bill has been in the Army for a few years and is a young infantry soldier. He said it was ‘weird’ that one of our guys approached him and talked to him about church and about Jesus Christ. Apparently, while at home on leave- some others had approached him and talked to him about Jesus Christ too. He even said while back at Ft. Campbell, he was driving down the road and someone pulled out a sign out of their car and showed him a sign- the sign read "Listen to Jesus". All he could say about it- was that it was weird. But we knew better that God was trying to get his attention- God had used these various different people while he was on leave and while he was now back at Ft. Campbell- now he was sitting at our dinner table openly discussing his thoughts about what faith in God meant.
Through the course of dinner, he asked me how I could feel secure about God since he knew someone who had said that that they had read the whole bible through- yet still was unconvinced about believing in God. He asked me if that bothered me- I responded "No- and let me share with you why… The issue is that it is NOT about data or information ABOUT God- but it is about a relationship with God- about Knowing God and Knowing Jesus Christ." (This comes from John 17:3)
After another plate of spaghetti and some cokes, we continued conversing with Bill about God and his experience with church and what he believed about God. Finally, Bill told us that he was interested in God and was open to learning more- but he was fearful. He said that he wanted to experience a "full" life but if he began pursuing a more extensive understanding about God- he wouldn’t be able to experience a "full" life. I asked Bill, "Is having a full life something that is really important to you?" He said yes. I told Bill that God was not in the business of trying to make life hard for us- but that the bible actually shows us that Christ came to give us a full life- and shared with him John 10:10…

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

In the end, Bill was still deciding on what he was going to do as far as God was concerned. I did reinforce with him that we were NOT intending him to make a decision right then or that we were NOT going to force him into doing anything- but we did make it clear to him that we were going to continue to share the Truth of the Gospel with Him if he continued spending time with us. He DID say that he would at least play some flag football with us that next Sunday afternoon and that he did enjoy hanging out with guys from the biblestudy.
During our post dinner- AAR, one of the things I challenged the guys who were regularly coming to our biblestudies is that there are going to be MORE guys like Bill out there that all have similar questions. If we are going to be involved in bringing Christ to other soldiers at Ft. Campbell- we are going to have to be ready to answers these questions. Therefore- coming up with some verses to share with guys when they ask these questions is not only a good idea- but it is THE idea to ensure we are bringing Truth from God’s Word to them rather than just our own words and reasoning. The challenge I left with the guys that night was:

List 5 questions that you’ve heard soldiers as they’ve asked you about God
Find 1 verse to answer each question and memorize each of these verses

The challenge that Peter leaves us in the bible is this: 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

We are urged to be ready to answer everyone for whatever they might throw in our direction. The issue is NOT about winning arguments- but there are some people who ARE sincerely trying to find out truth about Christ and God- if we are going to help them find Christ- we are going to have to be ready to share Truth with them.

Meeting the Living Truth Face to Face

2009-02-17T15:34:00.001-06:00

I was with a few of our soldiers at our Thursday night biblestudy. We had a great time of fellowship in going over a particular biblestudy that we were discussing. As we continued to share about our biblestudy and our daily quiet times- one of the soldiers asked if he could share something that he recently realized and discovered. This soldier reared up quite humbly but excitedly pronounced about what he had recently read.

John 14:6 I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

What this young soldier began to excitedly proclaim to everyone at his study… was “I just realized that Jesus Christ IS truth!! Not that Jesus spoke truth- which He did… but He is the LIVING TRUTH!” I was very excited for this young soldier. He had realized that Jesus Christ is Truth and he had began an adventure in walking with Jesus Christ personally in a very new and fresh and vibrant way- realizing that not only did he have the opportunity to find out about the truth….. but he had the opportunity to personally know and experience that Truth- because He now approaches the bible as God’s living Word- God’s living Truth.

I hope to see this soldier continuing to grow in his relationship with Christ- he has started on a very exciting turn to his journey because now, he is approaching the Word as Christ Himself- as the Truth that he can know personally. Now… we have so many implications to this….
One of them- is that I can live Truth personally and know Truth personally because Truth is the person of Christ- not some far off idea or principal that I can only hope to understand- but Truth is Jesus Christ Himself- and I can personally know Him and invest time with Him.

To close … some of the questions we can consider is :

How much time am I investing in the Truth- the Word?
What Truths am I allowing to infiltrate my heart, my mind, my soul?
What lies have I allowed to infiltrate my heart, my mind, my soul?

If I am going to sincerely live the Truth of Jesus Christ in my life- I am going to have to invest enough time in the Word in order to put myself face to face with these Truths and also face to face with the lies that I may have been living in my life- I may have simply never realized the existence of these lies in my mind because I have not been able to compare it to the Holiness of the Truth.

Our Call to Maturity and Laboring

2009-01-07T21:28:00.004-06:00

One of our recurring events in our ministry is our Wednesday night dinner. We usually have some soldiers over for dinner where we either share the Gospel with them if they are non-believers or we challenge them on how they can take part in the labor that God wants us to be part of for the kingdom. I love to talk with soldiers or family members about how being a Believer in Christ means that I am also ‘drafted’ in to the labor for His kingdom in bringing people to Him or discipling young believers on how they can themselves become and grow into disciple-makers.
We just had 2 couples over for dinner last night and another single soldier and a young lady who has also been faithfully involved in the biblestudy and our ministry. I shared with them one of our driving thoughts from the Word with them about how we are called to pursue Christ and make disciples in accordance with Matthew 28:19-20.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is Christ’s last command to us and our job is to do this task of making disciples as well. This means me personally growing and maturing in my relationship with Christ. One of the things I shared was how Christ commanded the 12 disciples to teach others to obey ‘everything He has commanded them.’ Therefore, every subsequent generation of disciples or followers of Christ are supposed to learn and do everything that Christ had first commanded the original 12 disciples. Therefore- every believer of Christ after the disciples lives on with this ongoing command to make disciples- the command left to the original 12 disciples. As I shared this verse and this thought with our group last night- I related to them the idea of ‘Implied Tasks"- which is a military term. Implied tasks refers to the additional tasks that must also be accomplished in order to reach the first task. Our main task spiritually is to make disciples for Christ. Therefore- I, myself, must grow as a disciple. Therefore, some of the main tasks involved would be for me to invest time in doing biblestudy, personal time in the Word, personal time in prayer, and a real fellowship/discipleship relationship with someone who is objectively training me and helping as Christ did with His disciples.
So…….
Our concluding questions are:

How is your personal time in doing biblestudy? Are you involved in a biblestudy group where people are encouraging and challenging you in your time in the Word- your application of the Word and hiding God’s Word in your heart?
How is your time in prayer?
What is your fellowship time like? Is it just ‘hang out’ time after church? How much time are you investing in REAL fellowship relationships with others? Do you have anyone who asks you tough questions about how life is going? About how you are applying the Word? About how you are being obedient to God’s Word? About how you might be ‘dodging’ obedience to God’s Word?
Who is discipling you?

Obviously, these questions are not meant to pry or condemn - but simply a call to become what God wants us to become.... mature sons and daughters of the King.
And...... as Sons and Daughters of the King- the issue is for us to figure out how we are supposed to live as such....