FOR HIS SAKE

Written by K.P Yohannan

"My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work" (John 4:34)

The most unhappy people in the world are the ones who live only for themselves. All that they do, they do only for their own sake. For these self- centered individuals, the most precious things in the world is their "self." Like a cancer that eats and destroys its own cells, the self-centered individual is slowly dying inwardly.

Sometimes these self-centered individuals mask their concern for their own physical and mental welfare by insisting that it is for "their family." They are blinded by the pleasures and comforts of this world, and seek only to gratify themselves as they hoard luxuries within their households. Blinded to the truth of eternity, they cannot see either their own true needs or the needs of the multitudes around them.

Sometimes, out of guilt, they will "do something good." But when they do, it is with one eye toward the glory that will come to their name, and the praise, influence and power that will hopefully follow. And if these glories do not follow, the self-centered "do-gooder" then becomes insolent, upset and unhappy. Bitterness replaces joy, because while the deeds were good, the inner motive was corrupt.

But what a change when we come to the place in our life when we put Jesus in the center--when we can honestly say, "Lord, for thy sake I am glad to do all that pleases you." Our priority must not be our own joy and happiness, but God's will, His name, His cause. Doing anything we do for His sake makes all the difference in the world. Then, without seeking it, the joy and happiness follow.

It is well to ask ourselves, "Why am I doing what I do. And why am I not doing some things I know need to be done? Why is there no joy in my heart and I feel empty, even doing good?" The answer could very well be this: our good works are no longer being done for His sake, but for our own pleasure. It is possible, as Watchman Nee once suggested, to be serving the house of God and to have forgotten the Lord who is Master of the house. "For me to live is Christ," wrote the Apostle Paul. He said he did all things; "For the Lord's Sake." May we this day--and always--live to do all things for His sake. 

Hearing from God

Written by Curt Klingerman

Sometimes, directions from the Lord are more discernible when we least expect it. That sounds like an oxymoron, especially when we have been taught to expect to hear from God. That is part of faith (see Romans 10:17). So yes, absolutely believe to hear God speak to you. The issue is overemphasizing a particular area that “requires attention.” The problem arises when we are not in a state of rest. When anxieties takes over, and faith is elusive. Faith required trust, and when we over focus on the issue in front of us, you know that mountain, somehow God is no longer at the forefront. When we lose sight of God, we lose sight of faith. 

God is Alpha and Omega, He holds the ending from the beginning. He knows our future because He is already there with it in His hand. He has every answer for every questions there is, and He knows what you need, when you need it. You have to trust Him with answer before He gives it to you. Sometimes, He teaches people to walk in peace in the Holy Spirit by withholding that answer before He gives it to them. Some people will not rest until they know it. That is a big problem. Rest does not come with knowing everything first. It comes with trusting the One Who knows absolutely everything. Some of you will not rest until you have the answer. He can teach you patience in the process. As long as you try to get an answer before you trust Him, it may elude you. What happens if you do not like the answer?

That leads to another issue. What kind of answer are you looking for? The one you want to hear, or the one you need to listen to ? When you are bent on a particular answer because you are determined to have your way, you’re going to have a hard time getting one from God. This operates on at least two plains. One is that if you are not willing to hear the truth, you will be deaf to it. Secondly, God does not lie. You cannot expect a particular answer from Him, if it is the wrong one. It is easy to forget that His answers are better than ours. In fact, His dreams are much bigger than ours as well. If you refuse to listen to what the Father has to say to you, do not be upset with Him. Is it the one in the mirror that you are having issues with. 

It very well could be that the answer you hope to hear is the right one. The heart of the matter might be the heart. Meaning, is your will submitted to Him? When is the last time you prayed, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven?” What about this one, “Nevertheless, not my will be done, but Your will be done?” 

When we surrender our will to Him, it is amazing how much faster peace will come. When we do not expect a particular answer, that is usually when it comes the fastest; even, if we have to wait for a while. Someone might say, “I’ve waited for a long time,” but it could take even longer if you don’t trust Him with it. When peace comes, our hearts and minds are more ready to receive. We become responsive to that still small Voice that whispers in our ears. Anxiety rages against that Voice which is why it is imperative to come into the Secret Place, our Refuge and rest in the arms or our Helper in the time of need (see Psalms 91:1-6; Hebrews 13:5-6). 

Finally, it is easier to hear God when we spend a lot of time with Him. We recognize the voices of those we know. How do we get to know people? By us spending time with them. For those who struggle to hear Him, do you only talk with the Lord when you need an answer? Has it occurred to you that He loves to talk about others things besides our crises? Yes, come to Him when you have need, but remember the Father loves His children and loves spending time with them. Jesus is absolutely amazing Company. In fact, in His presence is fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11). Our Father loves to hear about our dreams. He loves doing things with us. Could the reason some are not getting an answer is the answer they are looking for does not include Him? He wants to be part of your solution; in fact, He is your Solution!

Hidden Discipleship

Written by Scott Attebery

Here’s a phrase you’ve never read in Scripture: “And Jesus called aside the apostles saying, ‘take up your discipleship workbooks and gather for the lesson.’”

There is no doubt that Jesus was a disciple-maker and there is no doubt that He taught the apostles lessons. However, there is great doubt that he ever announced His discipleship in this way.

Certainly, in calling the apostles to “follow” him, He announced a general call to discipleship. But when it came to day-to-day learning, Jesus utilized a more potent method: hidden discipleship. Hidden discipleship simply means it was unannounced. Instead of being situated in a classroom, Christ’s discipleship was wrapped in real life.

For instance, Jesus didn’t announce, “Today I am going to teach you lesson seven: God will supply your every need.” No, instead, He took advantage of a real-life situation where masses of people were hungry. He involved the apostles in searching for a solution. Then, he took their incomplete understanding -five loaves here and two fish- (Matthew 14:13-21) and demonstrated His sufficiency. He even put an exclamation point on the lesson by giving each apostle a basketful of leftovers.

Jesus took advantage of another real-life situation when the apostles were sending children away. Instead of saying, “Okay Twelve, let them through –we’ll talk about this later in lesson eight: The nature of the Kingdom,” He spent time in the midst of the situation to explain how you must be like a little child to enter the Kingdom (Mark 10:15).

Further, Jesus allowed His apostles to observe Him in real life as he prayed, cared for the sick, displayed compassion on the hurting, and loved the unlovable –all lessons that are better caught than taught. It wasn’t until the end of His life, in the upper room, that Jesus spent extensive time teaching the apostles lessons.

Jesus was the master of hiding lessons in real life. But to be like Jesus, I don’t think we necessarily have to make extravagant plans for such “learning moments.” It’s not as if we have to pay a host of actors to portray a “single-mom-with-a-flat-tire” scene in front of us as we drive our disciple down the street at exactly 4:03 pm. No, life has enough “learning moments” already built in. An effective disciple-maker just has their eyes open to take advantage of the moments God puts in front of them each day.

Of course this requires two major factors: 1) the disciple-maker must live out a Christ-like example all of the time so that these “hidden discipleship moments” are a part of their daily consistent walk, and 2) the disciple-maker must spend enough time with their disciple for these “hidden opportunities” to arise. (Its probably not going to happen one hour a week in a classroom).

Is this method effective? Beyond the obvious answer –“it worked for Jesus”- is the affirmation of testimony. Recently I have interviewed several people asking them to describe the person who has had the greatest spiritual impact upon them. Guess what? Not one person described someone teaching a class or preaching a sermon. They all described people who invested their life in them and intentionally taught them Truth from Scripture as situations arose in real life.

One lady shared how, when her parents divorced, a friend’s grandmother took her under her wing and made her a part of their family. Through all of the hardships and difficulties of the divorce, “Mamaw” would point the girl to God’s faithfulness in Scripture.

Another person explained that while stationed stateside in the Army, he visited a local church. After the service, Bob invited him to eat lunch in his home. That began a long-term relationship in which the two men spent time together in normal activities –golf, hunting, sports. Over the years, when situations arose, Bob was a consistent example of Christ-likeness to the young man –even in death. When Bob developed lung cancer, the man spent hours with Bob in the hospital. Why? Because Bob had taught him compassion through his lifestyle over the years.

These are the kind of “learning moments” that last for life –and they rarely happen in the classroom. Instead, the truth of the lessons is most effective when imbedded in the context where it applies –real life. If we were meant to live life in a classroom, it would make sense to teach life in a classroom. But that’s not the case.

The classroom creates many obstacles to learning –it separates truth from life, it creates an artificial motive for learning –“finish the workbook/lesson,” and can become a burden rather than a blessing.

That’s not to say that teaching or preaching in a classroom or from the pulpit is ineffective. But rather, it seems that the classroom and pulpit are most effective when a person has been transformed in real life contexts first. It would be like a coach drawing x’s and o’s on the chalkboard for a bunch of guys who have never set foot on the field -its hard to wrap your mind around information when there has been no transformation. And transformation typically takes place in the “hidden discipleship” moments where truth is wrapped in real life.

In order to take advantage of “hidden discipleship” a disciple-maker must:

1) Already live consistently as a disciple of Christ

2) Spend plenty of time with your disciple in real life situations

3) Keep your eyes open for learning moments

4) Be intentional to direct each moment to Scripture –not just “man’s wisdom.”