Individual Discipleship Plan
Specialized
for: RICHARD
You enjoy my
yelling at you this week
 ?!!
It's all for your spiritual growth...I hope you understand
that. I don't usually lose my temper and just
yell...I'll be blunt at times, but usually don't yell...so you
can imagine my frustration and disappointment at your
inability (and what I have gathered unwillingness) to accept
suffering as an ingredient to help you spiritually grow.
It is, the Bible says so. If you want examples, look at
the life of Paul, or Stephen, or the rest of the disciples,
even read the book of James if you have to. Part of the
character of a Christian is the willingness to face trials and
temptations and to overcome them all in order to grow closer
to God. While there are a lot of distractions we might
have over a 3rd-world country, how is it harder for us to get
right with God?
Here's a quote
you've heard before: "With great power comes great
responsibility." With more, why can't you give more to
God? You have the access, you have the freedom, you have
the essential tools to grow...and you're telling me that this
is harder to worship God than people in middle of Africa who
have to sneak into the forests and merely whisper praises to
God?!!!
I do see how
all these distractions may make it harder since when we're
content we focus less on God and more about the pleasures of
life. But in the same token, you are not an un-believer.
You are a child of God (1 John), one branded with His Holy
Spirit (Ephesians), called by Christ (Matthew), to be with
Him. With this in mind, while we may not enjoy even
entertaining the idea of having our fingers chopped off one by
one for our faith, it does happen on the other side of the
world. What I'm asking you to do is to grow in you faith
to the point where you're not only willing to die for Christ,
but to live for Him fully as well.
I hope this
clears up a few issues I was trying to get at. Don't
tell me you understand...show me you understand by really
growing in faith. In reality, God doesn't need our
money, our time, our effort...all He truly wants is us.
Are you willing to let God have all of you?
Here's the
next two week's reading plan that goes along with the topic of
Character of a Christian:
- Integrity:
Read a little about Daniel and his character. Even
though placed in a high ranking position, he remains humble
and true to God and true to his beliefs. There is whole
book dedicated to his life in the OT, so I hope it's not a
difficult task to find and read.
- Courage: Take some time
and read about Esther. Besides Deborah in the book of
Judges, no woman has risen to such a prestigious position in
the Bible. See how her courage and faith get her
through. Joshua is another good person to read about
when dealing with the topic of courage. And both have
their own books in the OT.
- Nobility: It's one thing to lead, it's another to
lead correctly. And has anyone told you that you were
too young to lead? Perhaps a look at King Josiah could
help you out a bit. A young ruler with a penchant for
purging the nation of sin and keeping God's word. You
can find him in 2 Kings chapters 22 and 23 as well as 2
Chronicles chapters 34 and 35.
- Wisdom: While most people point to
Solomon as the epitome of wisdom in the Bible, many forget
that Solomon also greatly sinned with his wisdom. So
instead, I'm asking you to look at a wizened elder Pharisee in
the NT (OK, not much better, but still...) named Gamaliel and
see how being cool-headed and having wisdom can earn respect
among people as well. You can find him in Acts 5:33-39.
- Faith: The first name
that should come to mind is Job. Nobody in the OT is
more faithful throughout all things than Job. Job has
his own book.
- Sacrifice: Abraham not
only gives up his comfort zone in Haran to move to Canaan, he
also gives up the best land to his nephew Lot, and is tested
by God to see if he's willing to give up his son. You
can read about him in Genesis chapters 15 through 22. In
the NT, the greatest example is Christ. His story is in
the Gospels. Just look at Jesus and his definition of
servant leadership. And look at the nails in His hands,
the nails in His feet, the crown of thorns, and the spear in
his side. There is no greater love than this.
- Devotion: The apostle
Paul takes a licking and keeps on running. It doesn't
matter what the situation (be it shipwreck, imprisonment,
stoning, beating, verbal assaults) he keeps on going for the
glory of Christ. His story is in Acts.
- Redemption: Samson is
a good example of how people fallen from grace and power can
still regain God's mercy in the end. His OT story can be
found in the book of Judges. As for someone in the NT,
look no further then the disciple Peter. His life story
is found in the Gospels and the beginning of the book of Acts.
- Dedication: Hannah,
mother of Samuel, is one of the most dedication women in the
Bible. She is dedicated to prayer and dedicated to God
in all matters. Her dedication pays off as her silent
cries to God are answered. Her story is at the beginning
of the book of 1 Samuel in the OT.
- Boldness: John the
Baptist is the first example that comes to mind. His
willingness to be bold and proclaim Christ and tell it as it
is to people around him shows his willingness to go forth for
God regardless of consequence. His story is found
towards the beginning of the 4 books of the Gospel.
Remember
this week's key thoughts:
1.) Remember the Bereans (Acts 17:11)
2.) Defend the Faith (1 Peter 3:15)
3.) Build your life upon Christ (Jude 1:20)
4.) Trust God to provide the answers (Matthew 21:22)
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