Join the Family of Discipleship

Jesus knew the importance of living in community. He was born into a family, with parents and siblings. And when he launched into ministry, he called people to be his followers, his disciples, to be with him, to support him and, ultimately, to fulfill his purposes. It was within this community of disciples that Jesus found both the best and the worst of times. But despite knowing that Peter would deny him and Judas betray him, he still underlined the importance of living and working in the context of community.

When we respond to Jesus’ call to follow him, to be his disciples, we also commit to belonging to his family. Jesus himself referred to his disciples as his family (Mark 3:31-35) and friends (John 13:13-15). When we respond to God’s call to become his children (John 1:12), we also enter into a relationship with other followers of Jesus Christ.

Christmas time was a reminder to me that it takes some time and effort to connect with my family. We had to make arrangements, appointments and come to some agreement about where we would meet and what we would do for Christmas. It may sound like a great effort but now that I’ve been with my family, I treasure the memories of love, laughter and fellowship.

It’s no different in our discipleship. We all need the fellowship of believers, fellow-disciples, to help us grow in our relationship with Christ. Although it takes some effort to reach out to others, the joy and fulfillment it brings cannot compare with a life lived in isolation.

Rosebank Union Church provides me with the family in Christ that I need in order to become what God has called me to be. In a church the size of ours, there are many different ways in which we connect with others. The worship services on Sundays, as important as they are, do not provide enough opportunity to connect deeply with our Christian family. Therefore, we need to look for additional ways of making sure that we belong. The small groups (and other groups, such as Bible studies and ministry groups) provide us with the means to ensure that every member and adherent of RUC is connected to some other Christian friends and family. 

Rosebank Union’s vision is to see person in our church involved in a significant discipleship relationship!

Why is community so important to a life of discipleship?

There are several dynamics within the small group or other groups at RUC that provide us with the opportunity to be good disciples of Jesus Christ:

• A place to grow. Discipleship is about growing closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. My family in Christ stimulates this growth by praying for me, giving me opportunity to raise my questions and helping me to deal with the difficult issues in life.
• A place to serve. True discipleship results in a desire to give my time and resources back to God in gratefulness for all he has done for me. In the small group and the larger church I find opportunity to serve others with the gifts that God has entrusted to me.
• A place to be held accountable. Disciples of Jesus need encouragement, direction and input. Members of my small group (my Christian family) ask the hard questions about my relationship with God, which helps me to grow closer to God, to live life for God and to deal with sin in my life.
• A place to connect with others. Discipleship means belonging to Jesus Christ and his wider family. My small group members remind me that I have a family that cares for me, where I can receive help and where I can help others.
• A place to be encouraged to reach out to those outside the family. Jesus called us to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). In our small group we encourage one another to live for Christ in our own circle of influence. The small group also provides me with a relaxed, informal place where I can invite an unsaved friend, colleague or family member to experience the warmth and love of Jesus.
• A place where I can be myself. Discipleship is not always easy, but my small group understands that I need them to listen to me, to love and accept me as I am, to support me when I am weak.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, YOU NEED to belong to a Gospel-centred community where you can build significant relationships and grow in Christ together. Small groups (or other similar groups) in the church provide one such opportunity.

So, GET PLUGGED IN!

The “D” word of Christianity is disciple, or discipleship. When we hear the word disciple we immediately think of The Twelve, that unlikely band of nobodies Jesus called to follow him and change the world. But they were just the first in a long train of disciples of which you (hopefully) are one. When we look at the first disciples of Jesus, we see that their call to discipleship was a call to be with Jesus.

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him’” (Matthew 4:18-20).

“As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him” (Mark 2:14).

“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve-designating them apostles-that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:13-14).

“Jesus’ call to discipleship,” writes Peter Maiden, Director of Operation Mobilization, “is not an invitation to participate in a programme or even to share in a cause but to be with a Person, so that he can make us into the people he wants us to be. The call to discipleship is the call to relationship, a relationship that will gradually make us all God intended us to be. We were made for relationship with God, but sin put distance between our Father and us. Jesus has come from the Father and, at great cost, has opened the door to relationship again. Discipleship is the outworking of that restored relationship.”

As I step into 2012 I want, more than ever, to follow Jesus in a life of discipleship. I want to walk with him. I want to watch him. I want to listen to him. I want to be with him. I want to savour him. I want to imitate him. I want to love him. And I want to enjoy this relationship with him in the company of other disciples who share this passion. I want to follow Jesus with you. Over the last eighteen months or so God has been working in the hearts of the leaders of RUC making us acutely aware that following Jesus is what church is about. It’s the only thing that really matters. We are committed to discipleship.

Join us as we seek to follow Jesus!

Currently - one of the key opportunities for discipleship within our church is through our small groups. If you haven't already - please consider joining a small group in 2012!

Fill in this webform and let us find a suitable small group for you!

Yes, it will soon be Christmas . . . again! Another year has flown by, and once again many of us find ourselves tired, weary, worn out, stressed out, and badly in need of a break. As we think of Christmas, ‘rest’ is uppermost in our minds. We look forward to taking a break, getting away, chilling out, pulling out of the fast lane for a few days or weeks. We hope that Christmas will mean the recharging of batteries that are just about flat. I pray that this Christmas season God will give you the gift of rest.

But more than that I pray that for all of us Christmas will be a time of reflection. Most of us know the Christmas story very well. We can sing the carols by heart and we can just about recite from memory the Scripture passages about the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. It’s all so familiar that another Christmas season can pass by without us going any deeper into the meaning of this wonder of the ages. So I urge you this Christmas to reflect. Go back to those familiar Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to some fresh facet of this amazing event—some new insight that will leave you breathless with wonder and on your face in worship.

When the apostle Paul wanted to challenge the believers in Corinth to sacrificial giving to the poor, he used the Christmas story to motivate them. He hadn’t written many words before he said, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9), and he concluded his exhortation by exclaiming, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15). Sacrificial living and giving as disciples of Jesus arises from a fresh apprehension of the extraordinary grace of God shown us in the incarnation of Jesus. This apprehension is the result of Spirit-guided reflection. Do some of that while you are resting this Christmas. It will change the level of your discipleship in 2012.

Irene joins me in thanking you for your love and service to God and RUC in 2011, and in wishing you God’s rich grace in 2012.

Your friend and pastor,

Leigh

No doubt because of my profession and passion, I have had recurring dreams (nightmares!) about church services that have gone horribly wrong. In these dreams I am often ill-prepared, improperly dressed, or late, and things in the service are chaotic.

I had one of these dreams the other night. I was in a church (not RUC) that was populated mainly by older folk, except for a teenager using a weed-eater while to was trying to talk (someone interpret that for me!!), and I was dressed in my running gear (the plot thickens!). I was seeking to motivate this congregation to deeper discipleship and greater involvement in the church. Then, thankfully, I woke up.

The following morning as I was running, I began reflecting on my dream (nightmare) and on what it does take to motivate God’s people to deeper discipleship and involvement in ministry. Over the years I have discovered, from personal experience and from observing others, that there are several motivation methods that don’t work, even though they continue to be used. One is guilt (or shame). Shaming or guilt-tripping people may work for a while, but it does not produce sustained change. Another is ‘the big stick’, or clobbering people with the truth to make them feel so sinful and bad that they want to change. This doesn’t work either. And then there’s the ‘God-told-me’ trick. Sure, we must clearly proclaim what God has said in his Word and call people to obedience, but using the ‘personal-message-from-heaven’ method to add weight to our message is manipulative and will soon wear thin. And then there’s the ‘hype’ method in which clever oratory and various bells and whistles are employed to stir the emotions of people and get them all revved up. It will work for a time, but then you’ve got to come up with an even bigger ‘hype’ next time to achieve the same effect.

After trying many methods myself, and watching others do the same, I have concluded that “Christ’s love” must be the chief motivation behind all our obedience, sacrifice, and service. Here’s how the apostle Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15—“For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

German Count Zinzendorf one day stood gazing at a vivid painting of Jesus on the cross. On a tiny plaque attached to the bottom of the frame was the question: “All this I did for you; what will you do for me?” That question stabbed his heart and, motivated by the realization of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for him, he gave the rest of his life to the sacrificial service of Jesus.

What we need (what I need) is to gaze at the cross more. The more clearly I see Christ’s love for me, the more I will want to love and serve him in return. “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

What a disappointment. Losing to the Australians is EINA! And then we go and to it twice – both in rugby and cricket. I was considering switching to become a soccer fan, but then realise that not only can’t they win, they can’t even do basic maths! No wonder we then turn and pack out Ellis Park for a local game. A good game for the Lions – outplaying the Springboks. Mmmmmm….

Made me think of dealing with disappointments. I had some flashbacks in the past few weeks of the Alan Donald one-run gemors way back. I literally couldn’t sleep that night, as if I was the one who missed the run and lost a drawn match. I had to ask the question to myself: How do I deal with disappointments? I mean, you just can’t win them all (it would help, though, to at least win a few, wouldn’t it?). But I wondered how I respond to disappointments such as losing a game, losing an argument, discovering someone was disloyal to me, hearing from the doctor there’s cancer … or whatever other disappointment I have to deal with.

I am trying (not always successfully!) to follow this advice:

• Don’t lose perspective. What difference did this “thing” make? Does losing a quarter-final change my eternal destiny or my relationship with God? There’s more to life than soccer, cricket or some other entertainment.
• Hold on to God. He will never leave us or forsake us – even when it “feels” like He did. Believe in Him; put your trust in Him.
• Check your values and priorities. How important have other things become to me. Am I spending my life and energy on the things in life that really count, such as my relationship with God, time with my family, true joy in life?
• Use the opportunity to grow stronger. Don’t let this thing get you down. Of course you must deal with it and of course you are disappointed. But can I become stronger, more mature and more focused after getting over my emotions?

Will all of this force me into not watching the games? Probably not. Will I be disappointed next time we lose. I guess I will. But maybe I’ve learned to grow in my relationship with God and focus on what really counts in life.

And please Lord, I know it doesn’t make any difference to your marvellous grace and salvation, but let’s just win something for a change!

I love Liquorice Allsorts  (mmmmmmmm!) I like the colours, variety, shapes, sizes and, of course, the taste. And it’s the sweets (candy) variety I am talking about. But having just returned from a trip to Israel and Istanbul I was struck once again by the allsorts of a religious variety you find on a tour like this.

In Israel you find Arab Israelis, Jews, religious Jews, secular Jews, atheist Jews, sommer just Israelis of different backgrounds, and even Afrikaners from South Africa who have adopted Judaism and are fighting with the Israelis against the Palestinians. As my children say, "O my word!!! What next?"

We also found many the Muslims – both in Israel, in Jerusalem, in the West Bank (occupied, but “independent” territory within the larger Israel) and LOTS of them in Istanbul. I mean, Turkey is more than 95% Muslim, representing both secular and religious Muslims, whatever that means!

And then there were the pilgrims to Israel, including ourselves. But they come in a variety of shapes, colours, smells and sizes, I tell you! The well-known Christian sites are seen by many of these people from different Christian traditions as “holy”, with quite a bit of near-worship of a stone, an icon, a mosaic picture or a venue taking place.

Allsorts for sure!

But the experience made me appreciate my Bible and the true faith in God through Jesus Christ afresh. The fact that I can worship God in spirit and truth wherever I am, through the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t need an icon, picture or pilgrimage in order to know God personally and intimately. I can talk to God anytime, live for Him anywhere and serve Him with all my heart right here where I am. And I can join people like you this coming Sunday to joyfully give praise to God in simplicity and sincerity.

Hey, I still like Liquorice Allsorts – but only of the sweets variety. I have also learned not to judge those religious sorts I observed, but I do pray that they would meet my Jesus as their Lord and Saviour in an intimate and personal relationship with God! 

I was not born and bred in Johannesburg. To our senior pastor’s dismay - I hail from the Cape! He loves Johannesburg! Actually, he raves about our city. But he will delight in the fact that I have really – and I mean it – “grown into” the City of Gold.

I do not know why – but this year the announcement of Spring is really touching me. Driving daily towards Zoo Lake, through the beautiful suburb of Park Town is absolutely stunning. The ducks at the lake have hatched their first batch of yellow children and protecting them like a good mother hen. The bottle brush is coming out in bright red, the colours of the blossoms cannot be overlooked and the trees – it seems like overnight- are covered with green, green leaves. Spring is here! And of course the first thunder, lightning and rain was awesome. Yes, our much needed cold winter with its deep white frost, dead leaves, bare trees and brown lawns will now make room for new life. Truly a Spring - clean!

I must share – Rosebank Union Church is on an exciting path with our Lord. A refreshing one! I am moved, challenged and expectant as we together as Christ’s body, re commit to become real disciples of Christ – in other words true followers of our Lord. And of course the details of how we will do this together will, I am sure, unfold as the leadership shares with us in the next few months! I don’t think it is unbiblical or theologically wrong to yearn for a spiritual spring clean (a refreshment, new growth and above all a close relationship with our God, through the Lord Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit). A short prayer in the Old Testament comes to mind – Habakkuk 3 verse 1 and 2:

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.

"Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord.
Renew them in our day, in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy"

With real Johannesburg Spring Greetings - in Christ!

The South African Police Service has just released (Sep 2011) the latest crime stats for South Africa. I would encourage you to read the detailed Crime Report, which you can download HERE.

I am by no means a qualified statistician, but there is a definite improvement in the overall picture of crime. Of particular interest is that the recent figures indicate a 40% decrease in the number of murders since 1995. For the first time since 1995, the number of murders is below the 16 000 mark.

What does this mean for us as God’s people:

1. We should pause to give thanks to God for the improved situation
2. We should practically encourage & thank our policemen & policewomen
   (CLICK HERE See how Rays of Hope is working with the Police in Alex)
3. We should continue to pray fervently for our country as our crime figures are still high when compared with other nations
4. We should be prepared to search our own hearts and make an active pledge to live differently

I would like to camp on this 4th point and would strongly encourage you to read an article entitled: Crime Stats – the government wants ideas:

www.sagoodnews.co.za/newsletter_archive/crime_stats_the_government_wants_ideas.html

This article raises some interesting points which touch at the core of what the gospel is, and what the church’s role in society should be. How we change the moral fibre of our society is a deeply theological question with profoundly practical outworkings. Sometimes I am so discouraged by the disparity I see between the numbers of people in South Africa who claim to be “Christian” and the disregard for the law in our land. Are we as Christians living out our faith where it counts? Are we being the salt of the earth and arresting the decay we see around us.

Steuart Pennington in his article mentioned above (www.sagoodnews.co.za) gives us a Pledge in the light of the Crime Stats. I believe that this is a pledge that everyone who comes to Rosebank Union Church should be able to make and should actively seek to live out. I quote the pledge here with permission.

MY PLEDGE: Today and every day my "Safe SA" badge pledges me to do the following:

1. I will abide by the law and will encourage others to do the same
2. I will support my local CPF and get to know my local police
3. I will report all criminal activity of which I am aware, regardless of my relationship to the criminal
4. I will pick up litter and encourage others to recycle theirs
5. I will not partake in bribery of any description
6. I will not buy stolen goods
7. I will not drink and drive, nor take or deal in illegal drugs
8. I will, as a driver, observe the rules of the road and be courteous at all times
9. I will respect the property of others, even if I am participating in a public protest
10. I will respect my family and the rights of children, the disabled and the aged
11. I will promote my country always, making it my duty to know the truth of the good and the bad
12. I will live our Constitution which promotes freedom, peace, liberty and justice for all

It starts with us … and I believe it starts in your car (see #08). The way we drive is an extension of who we are. Just read any in depth studies on driving habits and road rage! It would be my guess that the average church-goer drives no differently on the roads as a result of the gospel. It is almost as though road habits are a different sort of domain from worshipping God. Somehow when we are driving we seem to always have a reason why we are the exception to the norm … “I have a meeting”; “I’m in a rush”; “I have waited at enough robots this morning”; “I don’t feel like stopping – it has only just changed!”; “Others are doing it.” Somehow on the roads we feel laws are suggestions and we have uniquely good reasons for disobeying them.

So now for the honesty part … I just received a speeding fine last week! I am proud to tell you that it is my first speeding fine in 16 years of being on the road. However, it takes greater courage to confess to you that it is merely the first time I have been caught! I have eavesdropped at enough braai conversations to hear the bravado of driving, speeding, fines, and cops – including stories around bribery & corruption.

I have often theologised … does the arbitrary number 60 or 80 or 120 mean anything to God? Sometimes I think to myself … “I think this road should be 80km/h like the other one I know, so I’ll go 80 because I think the sign should be 80.” Is God concerned about the speed I travel? I believe He is!

God is concerned about the numbers on signs & the colour of light bulbs on yellow sticks because of what’s at stake in our hearts. I am challenged afresh that the numbers & colours are important to God. Small sin is still sin to God. Small rebellion is still rebellion. Me wanting to be God is manifested in a thousand different ways. The only difference between me on the road and the convicted criminal who has left a trail of stats in his wake, is in degree. I am a thief even if I take R10 from your wallet. The difference between R10 and defrauding millions is only in degree, not in kind.

I am sobered to ask myself once more what I am contributing in my driving habits to the degree of lawlessness that pervades my land? The attitudes of my heart that lead me to rebel on the road (in what I deem are small ways) are the same heart seeds in others that have blossomed into serious crime.

May the Lord change our land by beginning with my own heart; that’s where the rubber-hits-the-road. How can I moan about crime, if I’m not prepared to unpack the roots of rebellion within my own heart and then run to the gracious cross of Christ? Surely 1 Cor 10:31 has in its sweep even my driving … “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Lord, help us to be Your people on the roads. May You continue to lower the crime even further in every part of our land!

The future ain’t what it used to be!

Are the children, youth and young adults of RUC the church of the future? Are the ministries of RUC that cater for these age groups preparing them to play a key role at some stage in the future? If we don’t prepare for the future in the church, there will be no future church!

But what if this thinking is completely wrong?

Should we not see the children, youth and young adults not as the church of the future but rather as the church of today! Should we not be constantly creating space in the life of the church to allow these folks to provide leadership, energy and direction? Are they not right now a key aspect of our church?

There is good reason to believe, both from a Biblical and historical perspective that many, if not most of the disciples, were still in their teen years. Jesus believed enough in these young people to not only spend time teaching and discipling them, but also give them vital opportunities for service and ministry.

As a church, may we constantly be finding ways to allow our youth to lead us.

Greetings!

We wrapped up at Regent at the end of May and look back over a most challenging and rewarding month there. Enjoying the beauty of Vancouver added to the spiritual rest and enrichment we received. I concluded my time there with a lovely 10km run around the perimeter of Stanley Park.

After concluding at Regent we made our way to the Island to drop off the vehicle we'd been loaned. While there we had some dental work done (I had a root canal!!), and we spent the weekend visiting with friends and attending the morning service at Central Baptist. On Sunday afternoon we took the ferry back to Vancouver and on Wednesday morning, with our friends, Bill and Eileen McLellan, began our travels to Northern Alberta through the stunning Rocky Mountains. We overnighted in a place called Valemount surrounded by majestic mountains. It's an area where a lot of heli-skiing is done.

The following day we travelled through more lovely scenery to the town of Grande Prairie, one of the best wheat producing parts of the world. The sky is big and the plains stretch before you forever. So different to the mountains, but equally majestic. The couple we are travelling with once lived in Grande Prairie. Eileen, grew up there as one of ten children in an amazing farming family. Of the ten children, five went to the mission fields of Ethiopia, Nigeria and Thailand. Several other siblings are big farmers who have played a significant role in supporting their siblings financially and in prayer. Some of these missionaries have now retired and are now living in Grande Prairie. It was our joy to meet them, have meals in their homes, and listen to their stories.

On Friday it snowed. Everyone was complaining because snow is not expected in early June, but Irene and I were delighted--except when I tried to shove a snowball down the back of Irene's shirt! The following day we attended a rodeo on the farm of one of Eileen's brothers. They have held this rodeo for 32 years, mainly as a fundraiser for the IVCF camps that are held in this region during the summer months. There were about 250 children and teens, plus a couple of hundred adults at the event. It was fun watching little children try to ride calves, and teenagers and grown men (and women) lassoing and milking wild cows! On Saturday night, and again on Sunday morning, we were entertained by a country singer and band. The morning service was called a Cowboy Service. It rocked! Or whatever country music does! It was inspiring being among salt-of-the-earth farming and ranching folk who really love Jesus and are passionate about reaching the next generation.

An added joy at the rodeo was meeting a couple I had taught at Prairie in the 70s, hearing their story of God's leading and blessing in their lives, and meeting their children and grandchildren.

Yesterday we travelled to Edmonton (Leduc) to Irene's brother, Ken. We'll be here until tomorrow and then travel south-east to visit the family of my first wife, Esther. From there it's to Prairie for the weekend where we will do some visiting of friends and hopefully have some think-time. After that it's just one more week before we head for home.

Please pray for me as I preach at Prairie on Sunday. And please pray for our safety as we travel. We were almost wiped out in a head-on collision 50 kms south of Grande Prairie last Thursday. We came over a rise to find ourselves head-on to a van passing an 18 wheeler truck on a solid line. By God's great mercy we made it through the middle with inches to spare on either side.

Our love to you all,

Leigh and Irene