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November 19, 2006
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Christian Disciplines
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Pastor Brian Shimer
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"When Iron Sharpens Iron"
1 Thessalonians 2
- Having left England, 102 brave souls traveled to what looked like a deserted area at what they called Plymouth. There they set up camp and begin to make preparations for the winter that was already upon them. During that first winter 47 of their loved ones died, only four of the 13 original families remained untouched by death.
Little did they know the land upon which they perched had once belonged to a tribe of Indians all but one of whom had been wiped out by a mysterious plague that killed every man, woman and child just four years before. The one remaining had been kidnapped in 1605 and for the years until 1620 lived mostly in England.
Rather then growing in hatred for the English, this Indian had come to know Jesus and forgiven them. When he was finally able to return to place of his birth, six months before the Pilgrims arrived, he received the most tragic blow of his life, finding no one alive. He wandered aimlessly through the lands he had played in as a child, the woods where he had learned to hunt, the places he had looked forward to settling, once his career with the English was finished. Now there was nothing. In despair he wandered into another tribe's, the Massasoit's, camp, and their chief, understanding his circumstances, took pity on him. But this Indian had lost all reason for living.
Until one day when a friend of his, Samoset, a chief of another tribe came and told him a peaceful colony of English families had settled upon what had been his homeland and were sure to die of starvation with no one to help them.
This inspired this young Christian and he went with Samoset to visit the Plymouth colony in March 1621 and there found his reason for living again. These English were like little babes to him, so ignorant were they of the ways of the wild. So, he determined to do something about that.
- Famous in the recounting of the story of the pilgrims is the story of this man, Tisquantum, called Squanto by them, who was called by William Bradford, the governor of the colony, a "special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation."
Squanto walked alongside the pilgrims like a good parent with his children. He gave of himself night and day, sharing his knowledge. He taught them to catch eels (which they found fat and tasty), harvest fish filling the streams, how to plant corn, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, refine maple syrup from maple trees, discern which herbs were good to eat and good for medicine, find the best berries. And he taught them to hunt and trade beaver pelts which was an economic gift to them.
In short, this man Squanto was the means of salvation for the colony upon this land. By that fall 1621 they had a reason to celebrate and thank God for his bountiful gifts. 90 of the Massosoit and Wampanoag tribes came and joined in the festivities bringing food with them to share in the feast, showing the pilgrims how to make popcorn. This first thanksgiving lasted 3 days.
And it was possible because of the ministry of Squanto who came alongside the colonists. This is a picture of discipleship, the ministry of walking alongside of another brother or sister over a period of time. Discipleship is not a program, not a certain book, not a short season of time, but it is our lives as Christian believers.
For Squanto he taught the pilgrims how to survive in the wild, and our job in walking alongside of others in the body of Christ is to help them learn how to survive in the wilds of this world. And it will only happen as life impacts life over time.
- During the great revival of England in the 18th century, John Wesley discovered that he had to bring people together
into small groups called bands in which they honestly encouraged one another. They had a set of questions they would ask one another in these small groups, but the main purpose was to "watch over one another's souls". It was a place where each member practiced honesty and vulnerability; it was a place where these brothers or sisters would confess and forgive sin, pray for one another, and encourage one another.
Discipleship is like "iron sharpening iron" as Proverbs 27 says, it is the impact of life upon life that makes each life stronger for the journey ahead. Without the Band meetings in England, the believers would inevitably fall back into patterns of sin because they had no one "watching over their souls". Without the teaching of Squanto, the beleaguered Pilgrims could not have survived another winter. He had come to "watch over their souls" as well.
- Do you have people who "watch over your soul"? Do you have people with whom you are truly honest and vulnerable? Do you have people in your life who can ask you anything and to whom you will tell the truth? I believe in the Christian life we all need such people, and Paul writes to the Thessalonians that he was such a person in their lives.
Although in Thessalonica just 3 weeks, Paul and his companions grew to love them deeply. In the end of the chapter Paul writes that these believers are their joy and crown, that they are filled with intense longing for them to just see them again! That is such a great love for them.
When with them, you heard read in chapter 2 of this letter, they spent all their time with the people. They were living and working among them day after day. Paul says behaving like the best of parents with their children.
One thing can be said of parenting - it is a lifestyle, it is a daily, ongoing "life task". The creation of the child is not parenting, but parenting is the lifetime that follows that moment. As with parenting, love is to be incarnated with the Gospel. We are not just given a message, Truth, to put into words, but rather we are given Truth that is to be lived in every aspect of our lives. As in John 1 we read that "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us," the message of the good news must be put into "flesh" into "action" and Paul and his companions say they did just this.
They loved the Thessalonians like a mom loves her nursing child. Now, all of us have had some bad parenting experiences, either as parents or as children, but Paul here is taking us to the basic of what a mom is called to be and do. And he boils her job down to something everyone can relate to - a mom's life is one of sacrifice, she gives of herself night and day, she gives not just her words but her very life. A mom cannot afford to just give messages about love to her children. It would be like saying to a screaming infant: "I love you very much" but refusing to feed, or hold, or change his diaper. I have heard many unfortunate stories of moms who never understood this calling and were upset with the call to sacrifice, but I have also witnessed really great moms.
Karen, my wife is such a mom. I remember not comprehending just what a sacrifice mothering was for Karen when we were first married with children. I would come home feeling romantic and would get the "you touch me and you're dead" look. After a day of being needed by littler people all day long, the last thing on her list of needs was for me to be reaching for her as well!
In verses 7-9 Paul says this is exactly how he and his companions gave of themselves to the people in Thessalonica - they spoke the gospel in word and deed, they gave their "very lives" as well as the Gospel. It is a picture of sacrifice and love.
In our walks with one another, we also live "like a mom" with one another. We give words and ourselves sacrificially. We remember that the ministry is not something that ends when we go home but continues on through all of life.
Such a life becomes a life of discipleship - a life where our lives are poured forth for the sake of others around us that their lives may be changed. Like Squanto gave his very life and teaching so the Pilgrims could survive the winter; Like the early Methodists committed themselves to small groups to "watch over one another souls" so the members could continue to grow in Christian maturity, so we are to give ourselves to one another.
In the next verses in 10-12 Paul writes that they not only dealt with the Thessalonians like a nursing mom deals with a child, giving not only the message but their very lives, but they also dealt with them as a father with his children, urging, comforting, and encouraging them to live lives worthy of God.
On the most basic level, our purpose with one another is to build one another up, our words are to strengthen and encourage one another. Fathers who have not lived up to the high calling of Jesus berate, put down, and belittle their children. A father who sees his job in the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, raises his children to be disciples and uses words and actions to assist his children to know and follow the Lord.
- The ministry of discipleship is the ministry of the impact of one life upon another. It is this impact that has most transformed my life.
In 1997 I attended a goal setting retreat with two of my clergy brothers. As Bill, Glen and I sat there taking notes and agreeing that what the leader was affirming was true we had not thought about taking any real action upon it. The leader had said in no uncertain terms that everyone needs to have others to whom they are accountable. He said that even if we have great spiritual goals for our lives - Scriptures to memorize and read, hours to set aside for prayer, plans for other disciplines and for outreaches to others - that these goals will not be successful unless we work on them in the context of an ongoing relationship.
He noted that even Jesus did not call 12 men and say, "Go off and serve me wherever you choose". Rather, he called these twelve to "follow Him" and go where He went, to do what He did and to learn from Him as they lived together with others.
He called these men into a group, into a fellowship. They shared all of life: meals, journeys, camping, bathing, arguments and points of agreement. They heard him teach and asked questions. He empowered them to go forth and minister on His behalf, challenging them to put into practice what they had seen and heard. He prayed for them, that they would experience God as He did and that they would go forth and do even greater deeds than He had done.
Jesus believed in small group ministry and the growth that can happen when you walk in this life alongside of others.
This conference leader spoke. We listened nodding all the while. And that may have been the end of it, except that Glen's wife, Ronda, was also there. She looked at us three and said, "Okay, Guys, when are you going to start meeting?"
"Meeting…?" we said. "How can we take the time to meet?"
But even as we asked that stupid question we knew we had been caught. We had affirmed everything the speaker had said as truth and now were we not going to take action upon it? We were ready to be like the man who looks at himself in the mirror and after he has looked goes away and forgets what he looks like.
So, we broke out our calendars and set up our first meeting together about a month later and thus began what continues to this day a small accountability fellowship with these two brothers and now two others. Over the years we have had 5 other men involved for short time periods in this covenant relationship with us.
Our covenant is simply to be boldly honest with one another. Each of us have our own spiritual goals that we have the other buys keep us accountable to fulfill. But more than goals it is the life lived together as we meet together and email weekly that has changed my life. If I have an especially distressing situation, I call them, they listen and pray. There is nothing I cannot tell them and nothing they are afraid to ask me.
- These brothers are like Squanto alongside my life - they are there by calling and love for me urging me to live a life worthy of God. Do you have anyone like that in your life? Do you have someone who knows you best, who is not afraid to ask you any question, from whom you can receive correction and encouragement? If not, you are not meant to live the Christian life without it. This person can be your spouse or a close friend, but it needs to be someone.
My brothers know me at my best and at my worst. They have looked me in the eye on more than one occasion, as have many of you over the years here, and pressed me for a commitment as to "when" I would follow through on something for which I had asked them to hold me accountable. And on other occasions they have demonstrated their love for me in powerful actions of grace and mercy which I will never forget and have seared into my soul the image of what love looks like, what forgiveness looks like, what hope looks like in the face of a brother.
They have been gentle and firm with me. They have challenged me to lift up my shield of faith, to trust the Lord, to walk on. They have steadfastly loved me throughout the entirety of this journey.
The greatest lie against such a life is a lie that says, "If people knew the real me they would not want to be around me." We defeat this lie by confessing it and then boldly, honestly entering relationships with a vulnerability that brings forth transformation. For there is no sin or shameful thought or action in my life that unique; we all share similar struggles. When I reveal my "real stuff, those sinful thoughts or shameful actions they lose their power, and in forgiveness I find freedom. Rather than people thinking less of you when you are vulnerable, transparent and honest, others will think more of you.
We are to watch over one another's souls in the body of Christ - we are to so care for one another that each life can grow into the maturity God has planned. This is the witness of Paul's ministry to the Thessalonians where he gave them not only the Gospel but his own life as well, and the impact of his and his companions lives upon the people there, worked the Gospel throughout the whole geographic area.
"Jesus was himself the carrier of the message. He was at the same the Supreme Intelligence, capable of devising the best way of making Himself understood, and of carrying out the Divine plan. But what did he do? He did not open hospitals or found orphanages. He became flesh, lived among people and he embodied the gospel message in its entirety, coepit facere. He began to act. He lived his message before he spoke of it. He preached it by his life before explaining it in words. This was Jesus' method and we too easily forget it." (Letter from the desert, Carlo carretto, p. 88, MaryKnoll, NY: Orbis Books, c. 1972, ubp)
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