30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 11

LETTER 11 - A DISCIPLE WORSHIPS THE LORD

I want you to learn and grow in worship to our Lord.

1984. In a forest preserve outside Lansing, Michigan. When I was assured that no one was looking. I raised both my hands high over my head. And I worshiped God.

This was the beginning of something new. I was learning more about worship. I am an ever-growing student, and Jesus is my all-wise Teacher.

I had already been a worshiper for fourteen years. I began by experiencing joy as I sang new songs to the Lord. Often, especially when alone, my joy flowed in tears. I learned that, not only was it OK to cry before the Lord, but my joy was a vessel that contained worship.

Worship is a lifelong learning experience.

Real worship springs from the spirit, and expresses truth. Disciples of Jesus learn to worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) 

Today is the day when authentic worshipers are being released, across the world. I am one of them.

So are you.

Remember - It’s all going to end in worship. 

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

- Revelation 19:6-7

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

I am a true worshiper of Christ.

Sometimes I break out in spontaneous worship.

My spirit overflows in worship.

My worship today is preparing me for an eternity of worship.

When I think of all Christ has done for me, worship expands my spirit.

Honor in the Real Church

Weko Beach, Michigan

Someone in my church asked me to say some things about "honor." So here are a few ideas. And please note: In my church family much honor is extended by many people to many people, including Linda and me.

Honor is respect for other people. This does not mean you agree with everything other people say. Honor is a way of treating other people. Remember that Jesus said "Honor your father and mother." (Matthew 15:4) He does not add, "only if you agree with them about everything." 1 Peter 2:7 says, "Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor." (Even the emperor? Think about it. Do not get your ethics from the media.)

Honor thinks of other people before it thinks of itself. Romans 12:10 says, "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Honor dignifies others. Honor speaks well of others. Honor does not talk negatively about people behind their back. That's called slander. Or gossip. Slander is saying something about a person behind their back that you would never say to their face.

Honor is different from flattery or sucking up to people, which are forms of dishonor. Flattery is saying something to someone's face that you would never say about them behind their back.

Honor does not gripe or complain about other people behind their back. Honor does not share personal offenses with other people, in hopes they, too, will be offended. To do that is to take what John Bevere called "the bait of Satan," and dangle Satan's bait before the ears of others.

Honor listens. Honor has "ears to hear."

Honor is a subcategory of love. Love is the great umbrella, beneath which honor is one of love's expressions. Honor is one way of expressing love.

Honor does not discriminate. 

Honor does not enable the transgressions of others. Enabling people in their failure is dishonoring. 

Dishonor is disrespect. Dishonor disses others; honor elevates others.

Dishonor judges before understanding. Honor works to understand before evaluating or judging. Judging before understanding is the game of fools; understanding before judging is wisdom. Honor weighs things before opening its mouth.

A culture of honor extends to isolated people. Dishonor plays favorites.

Honor-able people are people capable of treating others according to their true identities, as sons and daughters of God.

Real Church cultivates an honor culture. We may not agree with everything and everyone, but we never dishonor one another.

30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 10

LETTER 10 - A DISCIPLE GROWS IN DISCERNMENT

I began taking guitar lessons at age five. I have taught and played guitar for sixty-five years. (How old am I?)

How familiar with guitars am I? Very familiar! I am able to discern whether a guitar is in tune, or out of tune.

I became a disciple of Jesus just before my twenty-first birthday. I have talked and walked and lived with Jesus for forty-nine years. (How old am I?) Jesus became to me, as one scholar calls Him, a “familiar stranger.” 

From the beginning Jesus felt familiar to me. I felt safe, at home, in Him. Coming to Jesus was a great Homecoming! 

And, just as the first disciples found the ways and words of Jesus strange, like His use of parables, so did I. Yet I, like those disciples, was, and remain, attracted to Him.

I am familiar with Jesus, with more understanding coming daily. I am able to discern what is of Jesus, and what is not of Jesus. The discipleship principle I have learned is:

Discernment is a function of familiarity.

Discernment is in direct proportion to intimacy.

I want you to be familiar with our Lord Jesus. I want your spiritual discernment to increase.

Apprentices become familiar with their teachers. My Teacher has taught me this: The more I know Him, the more I see and understand Him.

This is what happens to disciples of Christ. May it be so, in you.

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

I am becoming more familiar with Jesus every day.

I am able to discern spiritual realities.

I can separate the good from the evil.

Revelation from Jesus is increasing in me.

It excites me to think there is so much more to Jesus waiting for me to comprehend.

There is no greater privilege than knowing Jesus my Lord!

Study Worship with Holly Collins

FROM FORMER STUDENT KELLIE ROBINSON:

I took Holly’s worship class at I time when I needed it most.

In the weeks before her class, I had just come back to God. I struggled with thoughts about God being upset with me for “messing up” my life and His plans for me. I didn’t know what He thought about me (except that He must be disappointed), and I felt scared to approach Him. On the first day of class, and in every day of class following, God’s presence felt thick and tangible in the room. A presence of love, acceptance, care. It was like He was sitting in the room with us, elbows on knees, full of anticipation for the moment that we would really understand just how crazy He was about us. When that moment hit me, it turned my world upside-down. When I experienced His embrace and smile over all of me, my heart came alive like it hadn’t in years! I was compelled to worship Him and to give Him my all. He became the joy of my heart. Holly spoke about God like I had never heard before and God seemed to be there in the room to help me believe He really did know me and love me with His whole heart. I’m so grateful to Holly for teaching this class; it changed my life.

The Problem of Those Who Have Never Heard of Christ

30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 9

LETTER 9 – A DISCIPLE OF JESUS GROWS TO BE LIKE JESUS

Dear Redeemer Family,

I see you growing to be more and more like Christ.

I was a boy when Elvis Presley became famous. My parents bought me an Elvis album after I saw him on TV. I wanted to sing like him, and play the guitar like he did. I even wanted to look like him.

One day I took my Elvis album into the bathroom, and propped it up next to the mirror. There was Elvis’s picture, next to my face in the mirror. I found some hair gel, and a comb. I attempted to design my hair to look like Elvis’s hair. 

Afterwards, I remember walking to my friend John’s house, feeling a lot like you-know-who. John burst my bubble when he said, “So, are you trying to look like Elvis again?”

Trying? We want to be like the people we worship.

1 John 3:2 tells me that one day, I shall be like Jesus. The apostle Paul writes, in Galatians 4:19, that I am now being formed into Christlikeness. This makes sense to me, since this is my glorious destiny.

Every disciple begins to look like their teacher. Apprentices learn to do what their teacher does. Jesus says, "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) That makes sense, since a disciple is in training to do the stuff their teacher has been doing.

I learned this a long time ago. I believe it more today than when I first heard it. As one of the Lord’s disciples, I get excited when I think of being like the One I have come to worship.

As I apprentice myself to Jesus, He forms Himself in me; His character, His abilities.

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

One day I shall be like the Lord Jesus.

Today, Christ is forming His character in me.

I am learning to love people as Jesus loves people.

Christ is training me to deliver people from darkness.

The compassion of Christ grows within me.

I want nothing more than to be like Jesus!

DISCIPLESHIP SERMON #3 - CHARACTER & POWER

Go HERE to listen to my third message on Discipleship.

Click on PDF to get powerpoint slides.

My first Discipleship sermon is HERE.

#2 is HERE.

30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH FAMILY on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 8

LETTER 8 – A DISCIPLE OF JESUS MAKES OTHER DISCIPLES OF JESUS

Dear Redeemer Family,

I want you to have at least one person whom you are training to be like Jesus.

As a new follower of Jesus, my mentors told me they were training me to train others in the Jesus Way. I was being discipled, so I could disciple others. To me, this sounded like we were a movement, forming an army!

Almost immediately, I began to disciple others. I took the training I was receiving and transferred it to my church’s youth group. Some of them became disciples of Jesus, and have since discipled other new Jesus-followers.

As Lord of my life, Jesus taught me this principle: disciples make disciples. He told His own apprentices this:

Go and make apprentices of all nations.

Baptize them in the name of the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

Teach them to follow everything I have taught you.

I have done this. I want you to do this, too.

I am eternally grateful to those who mentored me. They met with me, taught me, prayed for and with me, taught me about serving, taught me about Sundays, involved me in small groups, introduced me to worship, and were powerful role models in loving as Jesus loves. They were disciplemakers, and I wanted to be like them! 

I’m not through making disciples. I, and others in my church family, are developing our children into disciples. I still meet with people who want to follow Jesus. Nothing is more fulfilling to me than this.

My dear church family, let this be your life – teach others about Jesus.

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

I am a disciple-maker.

I teach people about Jesus.

I pass on to others what Jesus has taught me about Himself.

I am always looking for potential disciples.

I love seeing Christ be formed in others.

Making disciples is how I spend my life.

I see the fruit of disciple-making, as my disciples are making disciples of others.

The call to teach others about Jesus is at the core of my being.

30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 7

LETTER 7 – DISCIPLES OF JESUS MEET ON SUNDAY MORNINGS

I want you to be with me every Sunday morning.

When I was a pastor in Joliet, Illinois, there was a man who was always with us on Sunday mornings. He was handicapped. He lived alone. He walked slowly to the church building every Sunday morning. I mean “every.” No matter what the weather conditions.

My thought was, “This man is committed!”

Linda and I are committed.

When I was growing up, my family was there on every Sunday morning. We never missed. Sunday is the Christian’s Sabbath. One of the Ten Commandments says, 

Remember the Sabbath day, and be there.

Keep it holy.

My parents did. The DNA of Sabbath-keeping became my DNA.

Linda’s parents did the same with their children. Linda’s dad and mom were on fire for Jesus! Missing the weekly gathering of the people, the church, was unthinkable for them. It formed the center of their born-again life. As it says in Hebrews,

Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, 

but encouraging one another—

and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Real disciples are in community. In “fellowship.” So much of what Jesus has taught me about being like Him has been learned in community.

The letters of Paul are not addressed to individual Christians. They are addressed to The Community. Nearly every time the word “you” is used in Paul’s letters, it is plural.

The precious manifestations of the Holy Spirit (the “gifts”) only make sense within The Community.

Jesus taught me that the Bible is a tribal document. He is building His Tribe out of all kinds of people.

I need The Community.

The Community needs me.

We ARE the Church.

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

I love meeting with my brothers and sisters on Sunday mornings.

There is something about being together that empowers me.

God often speaks to me as I worship alongside my people.

I am an important part of The Community Jesus is forming.

I am being built into the Body of Christ.

I am a Sabbath-keeper.

I need the Community.

The Community needs me.

Coming on Sunday mornings is in my DNA.

30 LETTERS TO MY CHURCH on DISCIPLESHIP - LETTER 6

LETTER 6 - AN APPRENTICE TO JESUS FORGIVES OTHERS.

Dear Redeemer Family,

I want you to forgive others who have hurt you.

I want you to pray for people who harass and persecute you.

There came a point in my life as a disciple of Jesus where I began praying the Lord’s Prayer with my new-creation, born-again heart. I was deeply affected by this part of the prayer: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

This became real to me in my marriage with Linda.

We were dating, and – finally – had our first argument. We were upset with each other. During the argument I remember thinking, “This is over.” I was under the illusion that, in a love relationship, there will be no anger because we would be the perfect couple.

During the verbal fighting Jesus gave me a lesson I have never forgotten. It happened this way.

I thought of myself as a powerful arguer. I felt I was defeating Linda in this conflict. Then God said, “John, you are arguing powerfully, but you are wrong. You’re going to confess this to her.”

So what did I do about this? I kept arguing, even though I knew I was wrong. Then God said, “John, not only must you now confess you are wrong. You must also ask her forgiveness for continuing to argue even though you knew you were wrong.”

At that point I stopped. And said, “Linda, I see I was wrong in this argument. And, when I saw this, I kept on arguing anyway. Would you forgive me?”

This was new spiritual territory for me. To my memory, I can only recall one other time when I asked someone for forgiveness. What would happen now?

Immediately, Linda said, “I forgive you.”

And the wall came down. 

I began laughing at my foolishness. She laughed with me, not at me. I was experiencing the freedom of forgiveness.

Since then Linda and I have asked each other for forgiveness, multiple times. It will happen again.

I, an apprentice to the Lord Jesus, was in the School of Jesus. He was teaching me to be more like Him. What a beautiful gift!

Love,

PJ

DECLARATIONS

I forgive those who have hurt me, from the heart.

I experience the beauty and freedom of God’s forgiveness!

I live a forgiving life.

I live a forgiven life.

I exercise the power of confession and forgiveness.

When in conflict I initiate confession and forgiveness.

I understand and celebrate the power of forgiveness in relationships!

For more see my blog post “Forgiveness – Resources.”