Playing Catch-Up, here. Also, riding off of that whole high I had today, immersing myself in intense exercise after at least a day of fasting.
Really IS nice to see things from the perspective of the finished work of Christ.
Been a while since I talked about the Lausanne Movement. Well, let me just say that I tried. I tried going along with the Philippine team that went to Korea. I took on the opportunity to hang out with them that one time in Ortigas, helping them out with worship and all that. The majority, if not all in attendance actually went to Korea, and I attended online. I kept in touch, sending a message every now and then over at the common group chat… I tried, but things really just didn’t work out.
First of all, I suppose there was something wrong at the foundations, considering that, with all the potential of every one in the room at the time, all they thought of doing was a ‘National Day of Prayer’. I mean, sure, that’s to kick things off, but I believe you ought to have follow-up projects to that in collaboration. It was subtle but on the surface level it looked like everyone had their own agenda as a priority.
I’m sorry if it sounds like badmouthing anyone here, it’s just… well, I wanted it out. It was sad. So much potential, wasted. Eventually, when the group chat suddenly started to get all political, well, that was the last straw for me. I left one last message saying it was nice to meet them all, God bless them… and then I left the group.
It wasn’t all on the downside, though. Someone reached out to me from the group. He happened to be in town with his family, and offered to pay for coffee. We had fellowship and there was a lot we found in common, particularly in studying and implementing what we learned from our Information Technology courses, and so on. Eventually we parted ways, but not before him sending me a link of what he called a ‘Discipleship Framework’ for a venture(?) or a movement(?) he says was named Rebuild.
At the time, I told him off the bat that I was all about Jesus and His finished work being the center, and being more than that – linked to everything, really. He agreed to that, and I hope that stuck to him… because now, so many months later after our meeting and him sending me material, I see something just a little off, at the onset.
The document starts with the following:
What is a disciple?
A disciple follows Jesus wholeheartedly, letting His teachings shape every part of their life.
It’s learning from Him, living like Him, and being transformed from the inside out. A disciple stays close to God, grows in all aspects of life, and shares their faith with others.
In short, a disciple learns and lives for Christ.
I would go ahead and rephrase this by saying:
A disciple celebrates Jesus, understanding that through His finished work He has been made a New Creation in every aspect of his being.
It’s learning from Him, learning with Him, living our lives knowing He is with us, and we are with Him – moving from glory to glory, being transformed by the renewing of our minds.
A disciple celebrates His being fully reconciled to God and is therefore not only surviving but thriving even in this life, much so that his faith in Christ seen by others, as much as he projects it in the ups and downs of his own life.
In short, a disciple is learns and lives FROM Christ.
Call me out for heresy, or just rebuke me; As we have the mind of Christ, I am willing to listen and learn.
It goes on to introduce ‘The Discipleship Loop‘:
The Discipleship Loop
Stay Close: Discover the heart of God.
Keep Growing: Strengthen your faith, step by step.
Show and Share: Live His love, share His hope.
And I don’t think I have anything to say about this. It looks nice. Indeed, we are to discover the heart of our Father. We’re to continue living our life in God’s grace and glory, knowing that surely as Christ is the Author and Finisher of our Faith, so He is with us in writing the chapters in between (no matter how boring they could be at times).
Finally, yes, we’re to live Christ, we’ve to live the infinite and eternal love of God in this finite and time-bound reality, sharing the hope we have in Him, with Him, and through Him.
So, I don’t really know if I want to get back with my friend about this… maybe tone it down a bit, tell him I finally went through it, but a little tweaks from my end regarding the source and destination of discipleship and its methodologies.
It is what it is.
Now, I was going to go through another video I was supposed to watch ages ago… and maybe write my responses to it here, but, well, it’s more than 30 minutes long so I decided to go through Psalm 24… as it is March 24 today.
Psalm 24
The King of Glory
A PSALM OF DAVID.
1 The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
2 for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
So with everything happening all at once and with all we’re seeing and hearing about technological advances here and natural disasters there, and, really, with all Christ mentioned so long ago during His time here, regarding wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and so on – We’re to realize, that in all the shaking and turmoil, and, really, just in all the chaos and the messed-upness of everything: All our senses perceive is the Lord’s, for He has founded it.
The Lord is the Lord because He is Creator. He created all. He is the Lord of all.
…and in all our dealings as creation, with regards to our merely existing in creation, discovering who we are as creation and interactions concerning other creation, I suppose even the secular mind (the Agnostic, at least) would think that it’s best to consult the Creator; or, rather, to be in the good graces of the Creator. To that end, who, indeed, shall ascend to the Lord, and to stand in the presence of the Creator?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
To be in the good graces of the Creator, we ought to rely on the good graces of the Creator. Yes, I said that right – because, in the light of Christ and His finished work (see, it’ll come out eventually), we read this in reverse, and we read it fulfilled. The Lord and Creator of all is also the God of our salvation – how? We have received righteousness from the Lord by way of Christ, who by His finished work became sin and died in our stead, that we would become His righteousness, and receive and live Life eternal. As such, our being the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ is the first true blessing we could receive from the Lord, the blessing that makes everything else a blessing.
Or, put it simpler, as Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so we have reason to say that He is the Blessing of all blessings. By Christ, who washed the disciples’ feet and wanted them to have a part in Him, we ourselves have been cleansed, beyond just our hands or our hearts made pure. As Christ prayed for us in John 17, we have been sanctified in Truth; consequently, by His ascension we have received no ordinary Spirit, but THE Holy Spirit, who Himself is the Spirit of Truth that leads us into all truth, keeping us from what is false, keeping us from all deceit (from us, and to us).
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel ran to us while we were far off, and before we could even say anything about Him making us His servants, He called for a change of clothes, shoes, and a ring. I could imagine such was the scene when Christ breathed His last on the cross, and when the veil of the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom at the temple in Jerusalem. More than our ‘access’ to the heavens, our God, now our Father, ran after us, and restored us.
Selah, indeed.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
Blessed be the Lord, strong, and mighty in battle!
Blessed be the Lord of hosts, blessed be the King of glory! Amen.
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