Tomorrow will be the first day of 2012.

We will be scribbling out the ’11′ and writing ’12′ for a couple months.

Other than that, nothing will be different.

We won’t wake up with super dieting powers.

We still will not be able to buy a rocket pack.

No telepathic communication.

It’s just an increment of measurement… a point of reference.

I know a lot of people who don’t believe anymore.

There was a time in their life when they proclaimed a belief and a relationship with Jesus.

Ex-Teen-Believers

Some of them were teen-believers.  They embraced the salvation message and the youth group culture for a season, but were never grounded.  They never grew in the gospel.  The real, relationship aspect of the faith never integrated into their lives.  One friend faced hypocrisy in the church.  He bailed.  One friend faced criticism.  He bailed.  Others suffered tragedy and loss.  Since they didn’t understand God, and had other expectations for Him, they bailed when He didn’t run to their rescue.  Others went to college and immersed themselves in a culture that is intolerant to the faith.  They bailed.  Most of the teen-believers I knew back in the 80′s, are not believers now.  The church taught them to get saved and follow the rules.  The church failed.  The church has been failing like this for many years.

Ex-Rightwing-Republican-Christians

Some people choose disbelief because they are disgusted by the Christian culture.

When I first began to understand Christianity, the good people of Grace Baptist church gave me a new wardrobe.  They told me what to wear and when to wear it.

A couple years later, I moved on to The Evangelical Free Church.  My youth pastor helped to change up my Baptist wardrobe.  It changed a little more after a missions trip to Peru, and was slightly altered after a stint of rebellion in the fall of 1987.

In 1988, the good folks at Florida Free Bible Institute gave me a new set of clothing.  It was pretty basic, but I tried it on none the less and did my part to fit in with my class mates.  About six months into my education, I got involved with a very excitable charismatic church.  If there was anything left from my Grace Baptist wardrobe, it was packed away and I was introduced to some questionably flamboyant digs.

In the mean time, a book called Protestant Biblical Interpretation was telling me to wear something else.  It trained me, and equipped me, to carefully pick out my own wardrobe.  Since my closet was getting pretty full, I had some existing items to pick from.  Instead of grabbing the entire Baptist wardrobe, I picked a few items.  There were garments of youthful rebellion, institutional legalism and flamboyantly strange that came out in bits and pieces.  Slowly, I began to piece together my own look.

Since then, 20 years have passed.

I outgrew some of those clothes. 

An approacher is one who approaches, (or a meteor).

Un-approacher-able people have a hard time approaching others.

For this reason, they claim that other people are unapproachable.

Apparently, I’m both.  One by admission and one by accusation. 

Since I’m a pastor, I have been accused as being unapproachable.  All of us (pastors) are accused of this.  In fact, it’s on page one of “Why I’m Leaving Your Church For Dummies”. 

“Come Grow With Us”

This is the appeal of York, Nebraska.  I know it might seem like a coincidence, but this is also the request of

• Lincoln, Alabama
• White Oak Borough, Pennsylvania
• and The Tucson Asphalt Company.

Even Whole Foods is using it.  They have the slogan written across the monitor screen where would be applicants are seeking employment.

This is a very popular petition.  Small towns, botanical societies, businesses and sport leagues across the country are imploring the general public to participate in their growth.

Small towns want more people.  People generate revenue, start businesses and insure a hearty tax base. When York, Nebraska expresses its desire to grow, we know what it means.

more people + more revenue = bigger more vibrant town

Churches are making this same plea.

As I was studying a cross reference to a passage I’m teaching tomorrow, I was led to some notes I had on a different passage in James.  (yes, I uses myself as a commentary).  Since I was experiencing some ‘writer’s block’, I decided to take a short break from my study and pass on something that I discovered in James 5.

I suggest to you, that our views on anointing, prayers for healing, and faith might be off kilter. 

James 5:14-18

14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001 (Jas 5:14–18). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

This is a complicated passage.

If we are not careful, we will embrace doctrines which will ultimately condemn each and every one of us and leave us in a place of bondage.   It would seem that physical health is always a prayer away, and if, after the prayer, there is not healing, it would seem, that the fault lies in faith of the one praying.

Or, sometimes, the elder or the pastor is unwilling to let this doctrine condemn him, so he’ll say, the fault lies in the faith of the one who is being prayed for.

What if we didn’t know about church.

What if we were born and raised on an isolated island with no knowledge of Christian tradition, church history, denominations, Sunday mornings, sermons or hymn books.  However, we were raised with The Bible.  Since we first learned to read, we began to study this strange volume of books on a daily basis.  At some point, we embraced the reality of Yahweh.  At some point, we were amazed by the gospel.  At some point, under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, we repented of our selfish life and received God’s gift of forgiveness and restoration.

On that same island, there were 50 other people who came to the same conclusions as you.

With no knowledge of the established church, you and 50 other people are walking with Jesus and studying His Word.

What would it look like?

• Would we notice that the early church gathered on the first day of the week?  If so, would we end up following that example?
• Would we sing the Psalms together?
• What would communion look like?  Would it be a part of a shared meal, or would we somehow break it apart into its own separate deal?
• What would a worship gathering consist of?
• Since there would be no other popular religions to copy, would there be dress codes, costumes and fancy hats?

These are the questions we’ve been talking about at ccCville for the past two Wednesday nights.

1. What does it mean to be discipled?
2. What are the goals of discipleship?  -What does a teacher/mentor hope to accomplish?  -What does a disciple/student hope to attain?
3. What are some of the specific things we can do to disciple others?
4. Should we expect everyone to be ‘self discipled’ if we were ‘self discipled’?
5. What would you look for in a disciple/student?
6. What would your expectations be for that student?
7. What would you look for in a teacher/mentor?
8. What would your expectations be for that teacher/mentor?