Growth in trees or believers

Posted on May 18, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 1 Comment

The Observation

I walked through our yard yesterday to check out the 25 Colorado Blue Spruce trees I planted a few weeks ago. They were bare root seedlings similar to what is shown in the picture to the left. I was looking at the trees to see if I could observe any growth.

Bare root trees come with no dirt around the roots and therefore, the root system endures a set back as they are shipped and then planted. The trees must expend a lot of energy into producing a healthy root system after being planted. In the first year or so, most of the growth will be below ground and not visible.

When we look at the Church, we have people in all stages of spiritual growth. Like the trees, it is sometimes difficult to assess how much growth is really taking place because we cannot see below the surface.

The Danger

In both trees and people there is danger in assessing the growth by what can be seen on the surface. Just because none can be seen does not mean that growth is not taking place.

In fact, it is the growth below the surface that is the more important. In trees, a strong, developed root system is necessary to sustain the growth above the surface. The developed root system can allow the tree to survive periods of drought, endure high winds and provide the nutrition that the tree requires.

Similarly, the spiritual development in the believer is crucial as a foundation for living the Christian life. Without this spiritual development, the believer will struggle to withstand periods of doubt and trial and will be acting out of superficial conformity rather than conviction.

True change in a person must happen from the inside out. External motivations tend to produce temporary results. The change brought about by external motivation only continues until a stronger motivation replaces it. Whereas internal conviction can withstand the pressures from the outside.

Understand that while we would like to be able to observe and measure the growth in both Christians and trees, without the invisible, subsurface , foundational growth, the external growth cannot be supported.

The Solution

As I see it the solution is quite simple. The solution is to understand that spiritual growth is all about relationship. It cannot be assessed by do’s and don’ts. It cannot be assessed by lists of “spiritual” disciplines. Spiritual growth can only be assessed by a deepening of the relationship with God.

In John 14:15, Jesus tells us that love for him will result in obedience to his commands. To be in obedience, one has to acknowledge that obedience is the proper response and then work toward understanding the desires of the master to whom obedience is due.

In Romans 15:14-17, Paul talks about the role of preaching / teaching in bringing about faith. So perhaps a good test of spiritual growth is the willingness to hear and interact with Scripture.

The Conclusion

The discipleship process has to be focused on deepening the relationship with God. Any process or program that does not have this focus will engender a false sense of maturity or worse yet, spiritual pride.

In focusing on the relationship with God and not on externals, the mentor must not rely too heavily on apparent external change. The external change will eventually show if there is growth, but there may be some lag. Don’t panic and don’t loose sight of the foundation.

If we keep the focus on Jesus Christ and Scripture, growth will come. Isaiah 55:11 says:

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Giving God Crap | Till He Comes Blog

Posted on May 17, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

I love the flowchart (shown above) that Jeremy Myers included in his post on his Till He Comes blog. Check out the post by clicking the link: Giving God Crap | Till He Comes.

A man once confessed to a pastor that there was no way that God could love him since he had spent the night pouring out his anger at God. The pastor wisely told him that the Christian name for this activity is prayer.

In any relationship, we can’t maintain anger and maintain the relationship, either the anger or the relationship has to end. Yet, there is something freeing about being real with God. We all have junk in our lives, so why do we try to hide it?

The word confess in Greek literally means to say the same thing. In other words, confession is acknowledging to God what he already knows. Since God knows already, the best we can to is to give it to him to see how he will use it to his glory.

Thanks Jeremy for the post, even though the title triggers a reaction since I am a recovering legalist. . . . are we allowed to use the “C” word in a Christian blog?

Standing in the Light – Four Considerations for Defending the Faith

Posted on May 9, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

While Driving this morning, I had a chance to listen to an Apologetics 315 podcast featuring an interview with Peter Kreeft. If you have not subscribed to the Apologetics 315 podcasts, I strongly suggest that you do so if you have any interest in Christian apologetics. Brian Auten does an outstanding job of interviewing apologists in a way that is informative yet avoids technical jargon.

In this particular episode, Peter said something which struck me. He was answering a question about what to do when interacting with someone who is asking questions intended to put off the apologist. In other words, what do you do when someone really isn’t interested in considering the claims of Jesus Christ.

Kreeft’s response was that in being a witness to Jesus Christ, we are not called to win arguments. We are called to “stand in the light.” In other words, we should not be focused on backing the non-believer into a philosophical corner, but should be seeking to be a testimony to the active work of God in our lives.

Shortly after hearing this phrase, I turned off the podcast to think about this phrase for a while. Four aspects of standing in the light came to me.

Jesus, in Matthew 5:14-16 tells us that believers are the light of the world. This light is not self-generated, but is the glory of God shining through us as we submit to him. If I am not shining with God’s light, it is because I am dulling the brightness through my own self-will. As I surrender to God and am conformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:1-2) then I will shine with God’s light.
We are to stand in the light. Thirteen times in the ESV, the phrase “stand firm” is used. For example, at the end of Paul’s list of the spiritual armor, he tells us in Ephesians 6:13 that the purpose of taking up the armor is so that we might be able to take our stand or stand firm. We are not to give ground.
To stand in the light, we are not to run ahead or lag behind the light. In other words, we are to be at a place in our walk with Jesus that we are sensitive to where he is leading. Remember what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (ESV) Paul did not try to produce growth when his responsibility was only to plant. Be sensitive to the role that God is giving you to play and then do it.
To stand firm implies good footing. This reminds me that Bible reading and reflection are necessary to be a good witness to the claims of Christ. Wrestling with our own doubts and lack of knowledge are also critical to being used by God in the lives of others. If I understand who I am before God and what God has done for me, then I will not get dismayed when the person I am speaking with resorts to argument and ridicule.

I’m sure there are more aspects to this. Would you care to add any in the comment section below?

6 Questions to Ask Before Presuming on Grace

Posted on April 27, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

I have had a few discussions lately with people that have struggled with the tension between law and grace. This is not a new question, and the Bible does have some things to say to us as we work out how to navigate through this tension.

There are many issues on which the Bible is silent or has little to say. It is on these issues that this tension seems to be felt. Questions such as, “can I go to bars as long as I don’t get drunk?”, “is it OK to gamble?”, “what about dancing?”, “can a church group have a poker night?”, come to mind.

In response, I came up with six questions to help determine the right course when thinking about a particular activity.

Does the activity satisfy the Two Great Commands as found in Matthew 22:37-40? Does this activity demonstrate love for God and love for my fellow man? In John 13:3-5, we see Jesus washing the disciples’ feet as an example of how to love and serve others. The converse of this is an activity that is self-focused which ends up being hurtful to others.
Will I avoid being a stumbling block to a believer by engaging in this activity? The Apostle Paul presents this principle in his discussion about meat which was sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 28. While we are free to do many things, some of those things might be a stumbling block to a weaker brother. We are not to have our freedom cause a weaker brother to stumble and perhaps fall into sin.
Is it wise? We have freedom to do many things that wisdom tells us are not good for us or those around us. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:23 again. Not every activity is profitable. What is your goal and does this activity help you toward that goal?
Is it a good use of my time and resources? This is the principle of stewardship as illustrated in the parable that Jesus tells in John 25:14-30. We will have to give an account to the Master as to how we spent our time on Earth. Would you want Jesus to participate with you in this activity?
Is this activity consistent with who God has created me to be? Does this activity fit in with my calling? In Romans 12:1-8, Paul tells us that to be renewed in our thinking will result in service to the Body of Christ in humility. It is only through this renewal that we can discover what the will of God is for us and begin fulfilling our role in the Body.
Does this activity help me fulfill the command to make disciples as found in Matthew 28:19? Would a non-believer be confused by knowing that I do this thing? This is similar to question #2 above. Our freedom should not be something that gives a non-believer an excuse to reject Christ.

This list is not exhaustive, but I do hope it is helpful. If you can answer “yes” to each of the questions above, then it is safe to say that activity is one to pursue.

Do you have any other principles that should be considered? Please comment below.