Mentoring Minutes

(1 Peter 3:15)

The term “lord” or its equivalents, master, rabbi, teacher, is mentioned nearly 700 times in the New Testament.  While some of these are a general reference to the position itself in a story or parable, over 150 times the reference is to God Himself as The Sovereign Lord and nearly 250 to Christ as The Lord!  This is by far the most commonly used name to refer to God and Christ in all of Scripture.  We should pay attention to what it means for Him to be Lord and for us to submit to Him as Lord of every part of our lives.

The Vision Statement of Love & Lordship is: Every life and relationship built on the Love & Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Our Mission Statement: Making disciples who make disciples in Christ’s Love & Lordship in every home, church and beyond for His Kingdom and Glory.

Many of us are so drawn to the Love of God and Christ but want very little, if any, to do with the Lordship of Christ. Scripture makes it very clear that you can’t truly know His Love without making Him Lord. As we mature as disciples of Christ with Him as Lord we come to more fully understand and abide in His Love and then live it out in our love for Him and others.

The Apostle Paul makes it abundantly clear in Philippians 2:9-11 that God has clearly proclaimed that Christ is Lord of all. Peter makes it very clear in the Scripture accompanying our message title above (1 Peter 3:15) that we are called to make Christ Lord of our lives…and both apostles would know the cost of this calling to Christ’s Lordship and our discipleship!

I pray that each of us will take this to heart and walk with Christ as Lord, building relationships in His Love and helping others to know Him as Savior and Lord.

Here are some things to think about as you strive to make Christ Lord of your life and help others do the same…

1. Do you have at least one Paul in your life (someone mentoring or discipling you)?  Philippians 2:12-17 (immediately following God’s proclaiming Him as Lord of All!
2. Do you have at least one Barnabas in your life (an encouraging friend walking in faith alongside you)?  1 Thessalonians 5:11
3. Do you have at least one Timothy in your life (someone you’re discipling, encouraging and holding accountable in The Lord)? Philippians 4:9

Faith in Christ is not just being saved; it is life transformation for His Glory! It is more than just head belief in the right things…it is living according to what’s right in God’s eyes because you believe in His righteousness…right things and right living! (Romans 1:16-17; James 2:26)

True faith, according to God’s Word, is always something that you live daily. If your faith is not in the process of transforming your life then it is not true faith. (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Peter 1:1-11)

Preaching and teaching are the few expounding to the many. There is a great need and there are many called to do so but we also must be more and more aware of the false preachers, teachers and prophets as we draw closer to Christ’s return (Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 John 4:1-6). True teachers will build up and equip Christ followers to be disciples who make disciples…not just church converts and/or those who claim Christ but conform to the world.

Discipleship, i.e., disciples of Christ making disciples of Christ is what we are all called and commanded to do (Matthew 28:18-20) as it was Christ’s final command before leaving earth the first time.

In a nutshell, we’ve conformed and relied almost completely on the few preaching and teaching the many with the fruit being very few disciples. This also means there are fewer disciples being made for Christ and many pew sitters and converts claiming Christ just because they show up and hear a message, give some money and serve from time to time. Those are good things but only if they are from hearts set fully on, and maturing in, Christ!

Discipleship is not the one or few teaching the hundreds, thousands and ten thousands (although there is a place for these as they teach the whole Truth…is there any other?). Discipleship is the hundreds, thousands and ten thousands, walking with their Lord, each training one or a few to know Him as Savior and Lord.

The original sin, and the root of every sin ever committed since that time was that, “you will become like God/gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)

In our free will, which is required for there to be Love, God knew that we would desire to be in control and the serpent played on that. It was extremely appealing and successful then…and it still is to every one of us today. The thing that is conspicuously absent in the serpent’s temptation was something that the rest of Scripture makes very clear…we tend to rationalize and think, “well at least I’m not submitting to satan as lord, so just doing what I want must be OK with God.” Trouble is it’s not (see 1 Peter 3:15 again).

We either make Him Lord, walking with Christ as His disciple, or we worship and serve the things of this world and the flesh. The enemy knows that ultimately when we serve anything of the created order rather than The Creator Himself we are rejecting Christ as Lord, making satan lord of our lives and the result is depravity and destruction. (Romans 1:18-32)

Notice that it’s not the end results alone in the Romans 1 text, it begins with us simply replacing God with ourselves and other created things, suppressing Truth in unrighteousness…just as Adam and Eve did.

We need to realize and accept these Truths and know that when we choose anything but Christ, it leads us down a path where satan is ultimately lord and he deceives us into thinking it’s OK to choose otherwise.  In other words, Christ has saved us and we’ve proclaimed that but surely He’s okay with us living our lives as we desire, i.e., “we are like God/gods” and declaring and living by our own “truths.”

He alone is worthy! That’s why nothing else can take His place in any way in our thoughts, hearts or lives. Let’s choose to daily and moment-by-moment make Christ Lord…make Him FIRST above all things!

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Christ is either Lord of every part of your life…Lord of all…or He is not Lord at all! What do your motives, thoughts, decisions, actions and relationships say as to who is Lord or lord in your life? It’s either Christ or satan…make sure you know who it is. Again simply put, Christ is either Lord of all or not at all!

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Who would you say is Lord or lord of your life?  What’s the evidence according to His Word and your life?
3. List the areas in your life where you struggle to submit to Christ as Lord.
4. List ways that you can fully submit to Christ as Lord.  Be sure to follow through in the disciplines of His Word and Spirit. 

(John 3:30)

I simply have 3 questions for each of us, for our churches and leaders…1) Are we more concerned about making His message palatable when His Word is clear that those of the world will not like it? 2) Or are we willing to graciously share the totality of His Word and let those who do not want to hear it or are not ready walk away?  3) Which did Jesus do? Luke 9:57-62; Mark 10:17-22; John 6:66

Jesus died to save us and calls us to be His fully devoted follower…not just a fan. He didn’t say, “Go make zealots.” He said, “Go make disciples.”

In line with how we are to be molded in the image of Christ, The Spirit laid some things on my heart as I’ve prayed for so many who are hurting and diseased, other trials and troubles and loss of loved ones (in one case a couple who had been married over 50 years, in the case of my Dad and the passing of my Mother in a marriage of nearly 62 years, and just a few days ago the passing of my wife’s stepfather who’d been married to her Mom for 38 years)…

Habakkuk, a prophet of God who prophesied of Israel being led into exile and captivity, stated that there were bleak times coming. God had promised they would come if they disobeyed Him and sought other gods (who are not gods at all). That’s exactly what the Israelites did and God was simply being faithful to His Word, after much grace and mercy, because He loved them so much and knew they had failed to listen and unless He kept His Word they would never listen and return to Him. (Habakkuk 3:16)

Sound familiar in our day and time?

Even as Habakkuk talked of days of fear and trembling, of distress, of no fruit on the vines or cattle in the stalls (seemingly no hope), he closes his scroll of prophecy with these incredibly encouraging words for all those who will, come what may, look to God…

Even if the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vines, if the yield of the olive fails, and the fields produce no food, even if the flock disappears from the fold, and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like deer’s feet, and has me walk on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

God is always faithful so we need to be prepared for whatever His faithful lovingkindness brings even if we don’t think it’s very loving! He will see us through so let’s look to Him and rejoice in our salvation that He has freely given to all who surrender and walk by faith in Christ!

What impacts your walk and stand for The Lord and His Truth?

So many of us are impacted by what others think, how they react, what they desire, what is popular or well received, etc. In so doing, aren’t we making the circumstances and desires of others our impetus for “serving The Lord”?

This is the mantra of today’s “disciples” and churches…meet their needs. While we are certainly to do that, I continue to see so many craft or shape their messages around the need and how others will receive and respond to the message rather than simply sticking with the Truth of the message and trusting it will accomplish all things and “never return void.” (Isaiah 55:8-11)

We must be more concerned about the integrity of our message in line with God’s Word and trust Him to help us meet the needs rather than thinking our watered down messages will get the job done because people like it better. Let’s stick with His Word no matter what others think, how they respond or what they say about us.

Oswald Chambers says it this way, “The people of God’s method are never hustled, never enticed; they won’t allow themselves to be deflected, they know what they are there for. ‘None of these things move me,’ said Paul, ‘you may execrate (loathe or hate me) or praise me, it makes no difference; I am here for only one thing–to fulfill the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus.'”

Let’s be sure to keep Him and His Word above all else and trust Him to accomplish what needs to be done as we serve and love others in Him.

Along the lines of walking in trials and Truth here’s some more to think about to test whether or not we (you and I and our churches) are looking to His Kingdom first in all things (Matthew 6:33) or justifying His Word to fit our desires and to “succeed”?

We all love to read and hear messages about John 10:10b, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” and the abundant (FULL) life that Christ came to give. However, are we defining that full life only by what we have or can get in this life, or by His Kingdom standards?

The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, talked about rejoicing in Christ’s sufferings and BEING FILLED in his flesh with whatever was lacking with regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His Church, ultimately for His Kingdom.  (Colossians 1:24)

What are you being filled with as a disciple of Christ?

Here are 4 thoughts to ponder regarding Lordship in line with God’s Word:

1) There are only 2 Lords, 2 Kingdoms that will last for Eternity… Life and Light in Christ, and; death and darkness in Satan.

2) Every one of us has a Lord or lord. Do you know who your Lord or lord is?

3) Every motive, thought, decision, action and relationship you choose every day reveals who is Lord or lord in your life.

4) There are only 2 choices in lordship. The enemy’s deception, just as it was with Adam and Eve, is to make us think that God is okay with us claiming that we walk with Christ as Savior but we can do as we please, be our own lord or “god” (Genesis 3:4-5). He is not (1 Peter 3:15). When we are in a relationship with Him, He must be Lord. The default to this is satan as lord. Don’t fall for the lies.

John the Baptist’s last testimony about himself and about Christ as The Messiah speaks to His Lordship in one simple but powerful verse that serves us well if we desire to be Christ’s disciples, “He must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

Sin not only separates us from God but also continues to work in our flesh even when we are saved, so we need to decrease and allow Christ through His Holy Spirit, to reign in every moment of our lives…motives, thoughts, decisions, actions and relationships…all for Him. Sin not only causes us to fall and fail, making us guilty, it renders us unable to please God. That’s why we must die to self (selfish desires and pleasures) in order to live for God. The only way that can happen is the way God has made for us in Christ, not simply in salvation, but also by The Holy Spirit in us in daily discipleship.

Paul David Tripp, in “New Morning Mercies,” says it this way… “Sin…robs us of the ability to live in a way that pleases God. Sin kidnaps our desires and distorts our thoughts. It controls our tongues and rules our behavior…We don’t just need forgiveness and ultimate deliverance; we also desperately need present help–help so that we will have the will to desire and the power to do what is good in the sight of God. Our struggle with sin is so deep that only God living inside us can give us the power to please him with our living…Yes, we are new creatures in Christ, and yes, we are alive in him, but without the Spirit, we would have no power to defeat sin.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

He has already defeated sin but you have the choice every moment to choose sin in your flesh or righteousness in Christ by His Holy Spirit.

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – The Spirit revealed to me years ago regarding John 3:30, mentioned earlier, that God will not force the increase of Christ in my life nor will He force the decrease of myself, my sin and flesh…I must lovingly and willfully choose to decrease and choose His increase in me and He has made a way for it all to happen by His grace. Which is increasing in you?

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. How do trials and struggles affect your walk in Christ?
3. In what ways do you strive to walk with Christ as Lord every moment?
4. How does Christ increase in you moment by moment? How does self decrease?

(Romans 12:1 NIV) 

We’ve been focusing on discipleship and any time we do so we must also focus on Lordship. You have a Lord or lord…do you know who it is? Do others know who it is by how you live your life? You are living for your Lord or lord…and there are actually only 2 – Christ or Satan.

The enemy deceives us into thinking that we can call ourselves saved and Christ is okay with us choosing to be “lord” of any or all of our lives. I hear this in numerous ways from “Christians” nearly every day.  That’s simply not true according to Luke 14:25-35 which we’ve looked at more than once.

In order to better understand the relationship of love, lordship and discipleship, check out today’s devotional from Oswald Chambers in “My Utmost for His Highest” – https://utmost.org/classic/the-missionary%e2%80%99s-master-classic/.

Love is willingly submitting to and obeying whoever is Lord or lord in our life. Who’s your Lord or lord? All “lords” exact a tribute and in this world it is always in one way or another your life. The only One who’s worth your life is Christ!  He asks us to lovingly and willingly submit, knowing that the life He has for us is the only one that’s worth it and that will last.

With regard to Lordship and discipleship, The Spirit has lead me to focus on Romans 12:1-3 (NIV) to help understand more fully what discipleship under The Lordship of Christ is to be.

Following are 3 thoughts that have been helpful in my walk with The Lord from these Scriptures and I pray these will help you as well:

1) In v. 1 we find that we are to obey in love because of the unfathomable mercies that Christ has shown us (read Romans 8-11). Perhaps the most powerful lesson The Spirit taught me that this command is not a salvation command as we commonly think of it, it is a “discipleship” or the sanctification part of salvation, command. Paul, in the inspiration of The Holy Spirit, is telling us what life after we’ve been saved looks like…we are to be a “living sacrifice” of what Christ has made holy and acceptable (because we cannot make ourselves holy and acceptable…only Christ can). This is our loving response and it is an ongoing day-to-day lifestyle!

2) In v. 2 we are told how to give ourselves to God by choosing to not be conformed to the world but “be being transformed” (that’s how it reads in the Greek wording) which means it’s a constant act of aligning our thoughts and lives with His Word and will. Also, as with nearly all of Scripture, it is written not just to each of us as individuals but also collectively to all believers in the community of Christ’s Family, The Church. Together we are to be transformed by His Word and Spirit rather than conforming in any way to the world and culture and as we do so we will be living, walking proof of God’s will in and through our lives, individually and collectively!

3) In v. 3 we find Paul explaining a little further what our lives and a true evaluation of a life surrendered and sacrificed to God is…we are not to become prideful, thinking too much of ourselves but in the essence of true Humility, we are to think of and know of ourselves honestly and clearly according to the measure of faith we’ve been given…and how we are growing in that faith by willingly choosing to walk according to these commands.

I pray you will consider these in your walk with Christ as Lord and watch His Spirit transform you more and more into His image!

I would be remiss if I didn’t return to Luke 14:25-35 for 3 brief additional lessons The Lord has taught me in His Word about what it means to be His disciple…

1) The extent of true influence to impact others is only in my prioritizing Christ as Lord in everything in my life (v. 26)

2) The extent of my ability to ultimately and eternally help others is only in wholehearted devotion to Christ…half-hearted efforts  are mocked (vv. 28-32)

3) The extent to which I can point others to Christ is directly related to the extent that I deny or die to myself and take up His calling and work in my life (vv. 27, 33)

Trying to do any of this in my own strength, wisdom and efforts is futile and keeps me from a discipleship walk with Him! Let’s quit trying to soft sell what it means to be Christ’s disciples in a fallen world that loves their own soul and flesh more than Him. The only way we can be His disciple and make disciples of Christ, helping others know Him is in being sold out to Him!

While discipleship is about maturation it never changes from being this one thing only…a life completely surrendered and sold out to Jesus Christ!

Oswald Chambers says it well in the following devotional thought using the example of Paul’s life and writings to the church at Corinth, pointing us to what he wrote to the churches from Rome…

THE ALTAR OF FELLOWSHIP

So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?   2 Corinthians 12:15

“Human fellowship can go to great lengths, but not all the way. Fellowship with God can go all lengths. The apostle Paul literally fulfilled what we mean by this phrase, the altar of fellowship; he offered himself liberally and freely to God, and then offered himself at the hands of God, freely and fully, for the service of God among men, whether or not men understood him. ‘And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.’ Do we know anything about this altar of fellowship whereby we offer back to God the best He has given us, and then let Him re-offer it as broken bread and poured-out wine to His other children?”

from “Still Higher for His Highest”

Notice that Paul’s focus in his writing and his life was always God first. Only then could he offer himself to others in God’s service and not be concerned about how they would respond or what they would think of him…”the less I be loved.”

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Returning to Romans 12:1-3 (NIV) we sum this up as we are to offer our self back to God and allow Him to have His way in and through us. We can never do this if we are conforming to the world and concerned about what they think of us or how they will respond to us. That is their choice and we can entrust it to His hands.  We are simply called to love and obey.

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. What can you do to be “a living sacrifice” given back to The Lord?
3. List the ways you conform to the world.  List the ways you are transforming your life by renewing your mind in His Word and Spirit.
4. In 3) above, what will you do to make sure you’re transforming your life in line with His Word and will rather than conforming to the world? Be proactive.