WWJD?

Do you remember that popular Evangelical catch phrase from the 90’s? I do. I never liked it – then, because I was busy acting like a heathen, and now, because anyone who has even read just a few pages of the gospels knows that the disciples blew it every time they tried to predict WJWD.

Well, I guess there’s one thing that we can be Scripturally certain that Jesus would do if he were still walking the earth today. He would be making disciples.

GO… Make Disciples… That is what Jesus said, that is what Jesus did, that is what Jesus passed on, and that is most certainly what Jesus would ‘be for’ if he were still physically present with us. We know for a fact that he is still for that because he lives, and so does his command to his disciples to GO and Make Disciples.

Jesus didn’t merely suggest that his followers preach repentance, evangelize the lost, or teach clever lessons… His earthy ministry surely wasn’t limited to just making pleasant choices in a social context either. He expected much more. He expected us to pour our very lives into a new generation of disciples just as he poured his very life into the Twelve.

The Church in America today is practically clueless when it comes to Scriptural, Jesus-commanded discipleship. I admit that I certainly don’t know it all, but it is because generations before me quit making disciples the way Jesus did it. People love to say what wrong with this country… there’s your problem right there. We need to re-discover true, biblical, Jesus-commanded, apostle-obeyed, early church-experienced discipleship.

Whatever Happened to Jesus’ Church?

Jerusalem's Golden Gate.

…on this rock I will build my church, 

and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Matthew 16:18

Jesus said he would build his church, and that the gates of Hades would not overcome it. What does that mean? Maybe a better question is this: Is the church today the anything like the one that Jesus describes here?

First, let’s table the discussion about the identity of ‘this rock’ for the time being. Suffice to say that the rock that Jesus spoke of was the revelation of himself as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” The rock that Jesus’ church is built on is none other than the gospel. “It is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes,” because “in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed” (Romans 1:16-17).

So, Jesus’ church is built on a message. Hmmm. Is the church today built on that message, or is it built on more than that? Think very carefully about that for a moment...

Well, apparently the gates of Hades are no match for this church Jesus builds. In the time Jesus lived, Hades was clearly understood as the unseen realm of the dead. The living had a natural fear of this realm of the dead, which no man knew anything about. So, Jesus likened it to a fortified city that his contemporaries would have been familiar with. These fortified cities had massive defensive walls, and some cities even had a double wall. These walls could be up to 20 feet thick. You might think that would make the city gate the weak point, but think again. The doors were immense, designed to withstand battering rams. Some cities even had a double set of gates so that if the attacker broke through, they were hemmed up at the second gate and slaughtered. In sum, conquering a fortified city meant the attacking force must display a fierce and resolute commitment to vanquish his enemy, notwithstanding heavy casualties.

Artist's reconstruction of the city gate at Lachish

So, the church that Jesus built was not a cowering group of saints hiding from the darkness in the world, but a fierce and resolute attacking force committed to breaking down the gates of the Enemy. Did you catch that? The church – with Christ at the Head – is the aggressor! The church is the bully! The church has picked the fight with the Enemy where he is fortified and can do the most damage.

Now here’s a question for you: Is your church really attacking the Enemy where he is fortified in this world? Be honest. What does your congregation do together that is the equivalent of suiting up for war and attacking the very gates of Hell? If you can’t answer that with something substantial, your church probably doesn’t resemble the one Jesus had in mind.

People wonder what’s wrong with this country today, not realizing that the American church has become far too comfortable. Like King David who stayed home to take it easy while Joab took the men into battle, the American church has for the most part done the same thing. The hard truth is that we enjoy all the material blessings while the persecuted church of the does the dirty work – making real disciples. They are the reason Christianity is still spreading in the world. You know why? The gospel. It’s what Jesus’ church is built on and when it’s the only thing, there’s no doubt it’s the most important thing.

Live Second

As some of you may know, I’ve been with e3 Partners and I am Second for a couple of years now. I’ve got some exciting Christmas-time shopping news for you: there’s a new book on the shelves, and you need to get a copy… or two. It’s called Live Second: 365 Ways to Make Jesus First by Doug Bender. The book springs from the I am Second website, which itself has become a sensation with over 10 million unique hits and .5 million social media followers. Doug creates our discussion guides that go with the films, and he previously wrote the bestselling book I am Second: Real Stories. Changing Lives. It was a huge success, and he spent 8 months as a bestselling Christian author.

Well, we expect even bigger success from Live Second. I’m part of the Live Second book launch team, and all of us on the team know how powerful the I am Second films and materials are; they really do have an impact on people. We’ve all received advance copies of Live Second and have been reading through it. Many of us have posted reviews. You can read my Amazon.com review of Live Second here (please leave feedback for me). But our goal is not to merely sell books, it is to put Live Second on the New York Time best sellers list. Let me explain.

Having a best selling Christian book is great, and we are thankful for that. While we do expect the book to do well among Christians, it is not something that is taken for granted. But what we want, and are praying for, is for the book to get into everyone’s hands. Just as the title says, the book is designed to make the reader second, and Jesus first. Wouldn’t it be cool if Live Second topped the most prestigious secular best seller’s list? Do you realize what that would mean? Think about that for a second…

Can you help? Yes.

Should you help? Absolutely! 

This book is far more than a devotional; it is a guide that actually teaches you how to make Jesus first in your life. It also challenges you to act on what you learn, rather than just giving you a warm and fuzzy feeling for the morning. The design is to grow a disciple of Christ based on reading the word of God and obeying it.

So, what can you do to help make that happen? I’m glad you asked.

1. Buy the book between 12/9 and 12/15. This will help its rating. Keep the receipt and email it to promo@iamsecond.com to get over $100 worth of free stuff from I am Second and two free webinars with the author, Doug Bender. Also, buy gift books, and give the receipts as gifts as well.

2. Share this blog on Facebook, tweet it, +1 it, email it, just get it to your friends, family, and church so they know about it.

3. Copy the promo postcard and save it on your computer or phone. Share it, tweet it, text it, +1 it, and email it to friends. You can print them and pass them out at church, Bible study, work, etc.

The Ten Commandments of Bible Buying

The first Bible I ever bought - and yes, that is duct tape. I broke several Bible-buying commandments on this one, but the LORD was with me. It has served me well. I still use it, although it stays on the desk now due to its condition. I have bought many Bibles since this one, but this was the best. I can still close my eyes and remember where certain verses are positioned on pages in this Bible, even though I have carried many others. I will always keep this book.

I used to think there was a “perfect” Bible out there. Before you get your theological panties in a wad, what I mean by that is, version, style, features, etc. I’ve bought lots of Bibles looking for just the right one, and unwittingly, broken every Bible buying commandment possible. So, save yourself some money and mental anguish, practice a little self-disciple and patience, and you’ll get it right the very first time. Here’s a little guide on how to buy a Bible.

I.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible on a whim. “Oh, that one looks nice.” That’s never a good idea. Very high probability this one just ain’t going to be the perfect one if you’re serious about reading the Bible. Seriously, you are buying a Bible, not something of the dollar menu.

II.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible based on appearance. I drive a beat up ’93 Toyota 4Runner, but it’s reliable. Sometimes I even pass brand new cars that are broken down on the side of the road. You wouldn’t pick a spouse based on looks would you---don’t answer that. The point is, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

III.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible without doing your homework first. Think! What do you want in a Bible? Study notes? Center references? Jesus’ words in red letters? Decide what you want, then shop. There is enough variety out there these days to either completely satisfy you, or get mighty close.

IV.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible under coercion. In other words, you don’t need to feel compelled to get the one that “theology guy” tells you is “the best.” There are lots of different versions, ranging from more formal to more functional (i.e. word-for-word to thought-for-thought). “Theology guy” may have acquired a version bias, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but you may not share his views. Stores (and websites) have charts explaining the different versions, and you need to check those out before you buy.

V.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible without reading it first. There’s no excuse for not knowing if you like this book before you buy it. With their “Add Parallel” feature, BibleGateway.com makes it too easy to compare different versions to skip this step. Would you buy a car without test-driving? Isn’t God’s Word more awesome than a car? Test-drive your Bible.

I never could enjoy this Bible. I bought it when I was into study notes, and boy, it is chock full of them. The design makes reading it painful. You can clearly see the print on the pages underneath, which is very distracting. The Scripture goes into the crease, making it very difficult to read. Not only that, every handful of pages has even more notes that come halfway up the page (which you can see a hint of on the left). I should have done my homework.

VI.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible just because your pastor preaches from it. You don’t have to have the same version, even if it does make reading along a little tricky at times. It’s actually a good thing to have a different version, because you will pick up on the way the interpreters have struggled to translate a word, or verse. You will want to really dig into those, and it makes for some good study. Even better to have several different versions in a Bible study group.

VII.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible online without holding, handling, touching, and looking at the real deal. You can’t look at a thumbnail picture and know how a Bible will feel, if you can see through the pages, if its really the size of the Chinese phonebook, or if its little gilded edges are going to give you paper cuts every time you flip a page. You need to hold it, touch it, and see it. If it is what you want, then price it online… but be very, very cautious if you order. Best advice is to copy the ISBN, and all the product details you can.

VIII.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible that is not easy on the eyes. What I mean by that is how it looks when you open it up and read it. Are the words too small? Do the words from the page underneath distract you (show through)? Does the writing in Psalms go all the way into the crease so that as you lean over to read, you end up falling out of your chair and dislocating your shoulder? Remember: If it’s just a little bit aggravating to read, you won’t read it… get a Bible that has pages easy on the eyes.

IX.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible with prejudice in your heart against certain styles and versions. Believe it or not, this is especially true with styles. Some folks go looking for a specific style or version with tunnel vision. Don’t be guilty of discrimination against Bibles! Look around and see what really suits you. Step out on a limb and pick up the “old folks,” large print Bible… You might like it.

X.  Thou shalt not buy a Bible that does not satisfy your needs. Think back to the I and III commandments – don’t settle for less because you really want one today, or you will end up with buyer’s remorse over a Bible (a dreadful feeling). You’re going to want to mark this thing up with notes and highlights… If you have to buy another, you are faced with a dilemma: “Do I transfer everything into my new Bible? Do I just start over?” Trust me, it’s a lot easier to take an extra couple of days, or even weeks, and find the right one to begin with.

To wrap it up, just keep a few things in mind. This is a serious purchase… Alongside prayer it is your primary means of communication with the Father. If you plan to read it (and why wouldn’t you?), it will likely take you a year or more. If you are buying a Bible for the right reason, basically, it is to get to know what God has revealed about Himself. You aren’t trying to impress anyone with your Bible. You are the expert on the kind of Bible you need. Get the one that works for you.

Let me know how this works out for you.