Author: Rick Henderson

Rick Henderson is the Associate Pastor for Students.

Partiality pt 2

Re:Verse passage – Romans 3:21-31 (day seven)

Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also. Romans 3:29

Or is God the God of the Baptists only? Is He not the God of the all denominations also? Yes, of all denominations also.

One of the questions I get most often from students, “Why are there so many denominations?” Especially as we teach Baptist distinctives with conviction, it becomes easy to move into a place of self-righteousness believing that we are right and everyone else is wrong. You can see this in other protestant denominations who have said that their way is the only way to heaven. Jesus, however, seemed to say that He was The Way and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus is bigger than our denominational differences.

These differneces are a product of reading and interpreting scripture differently. They are not a product of worshipping a different God. As we move to a place of worship with friends who read scripture differently, can we put aside our differences and make the main thing the main thing? Can we recognize that Jesus is the commonality that brings us all together? Imagine with me a moment a city where all the churches came together and worshipped the King of Kings in one place in one voice. Imagine how that kind of city could impact the Kingdom. We pray that San Antonio will be that city.

Partiality

Re:Verse passage – Romans 2:5-16 (day seven)

For there is no partiality with God. Romans 2:11

Partiality translates “to lift the face.” It comes from Old Testament imagery where those who were accused of a crime were not allowed to look at the face of the judge so that the judge did not have any chance for showing bias.

God does not look at what we have done; He looks at our heart.

We may not be strict observers of the Law like the Jewish Christians Paul was writing to in Rome, but we have people who are strictly checking off a list of things they believe they are supposed to do in order to be in right standing before God. He is not looking up how many times you were at church, if you read your Bible every day, or how much you are tithing. He wants those things to be products of your relationship with Him, not the payment for His relationship. When we treat this check list like the finish line of our walk instead of the starting line, we err towards the very legalism Paul was talking about. When the check list becomes the starting line, we will begin to see that there is so much more to our walk than what we could ever show on the outside, and God will lead us to places we never thought were possible.

Power

Re:Verse passage – Romans 1:14–17  (day seven)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16

The reason that Paul is able to be unashamed is because of the inherent power of the gospel. We often talk about the gospel being good news (literally, it translates to this), but in using that terminology do we dilute the efficacy of the gospel to just being information or advice? The gospel is so much more than just words to live by. Paul doesn’t say the gospel gives us power, but He says “it is the power of God.” The gospel is power!

When we recognize this power, we can’t help but be unashamed. The gospel will no longer just be what we believe, but it will become a part of who we are. The power lives in us, works through us, and awakens attributes in us that wouldn’t come naturally. One of which is confidence. We will realize that it isn’t about us becoming more bold in our faith, but as our faith becomes more internalized, the gospel will make us more bold. It is the power of God!

Vocational Ministry

 Re:Verse passage – Matthew 4:18-19; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9; Galatians 4:4–7 (day seven)

 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Matthew 4:18

“They were busy in a lawful occupation when he called them to be ministers: our Lord does not call idlers but fishers.” – Spurgeon

Think about the callings found in scripture. David, Moses, Gideon, the disciples. God didn’t call people from the synagogue, He called them while they were faithfully working. Our God meets us where we are at; we need only to listen.

This is true in our personal growth and calling, as well as in our discipleship. Every single one of us are called to make disciples. Some may be called to vocational ministry, but every Christian is called to use their vocation as ministry. Instead of waiting for God to tell you in some grand fashion what you are supposed to do, what if you just went to work tomorrow with the anticipation that God is going to speak there? What would He tell you to do? Who would He tell you to speak with? If you will listen, God will meet you where you are at!

Flabbergasted

Re:Verse passage –Mark 1:1-4; Luke 4:42-44; Acts 5:42; 11:19-21 (day seven)

[…] they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus […] every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 5:40-42

Could you imagine if one of these first century Christians got to look into the future at our churches today? What would they say?
“Look at how many people are gathering! It must be so amazing to go out and spread the gospel with a group this size.”
“You mean the government will actually encourage you to serve the community? What is stopping you?”
I think they would be flabbergasted that people could come to church for forty-five minutes once or twice a month and believe that is the definition of discipleship. If we went through what they went through, what would happen in our congregations? If the threat of flogging, prison, and even death were on the table as consequences for attending church, how many people would continue to show up, let alone evangelize? I would argue that though attendance may drop, our churches would become stronger than ever because everyone that would be left would be just like you. How can you motivate and encourage the people around you today to be as committed to Jesus as you are?

Drawn and Sent

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day seven)

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out… Luke 9:1-2a

He draws us in to send us out. As Jesus called his disciples, as well as the others who closely followed Him, He drew them to Himself. They walked with Him, and talked with Him, and He called them His own. Can you imagine the insight and experiences they got from being with Him face to face? Yet, the purpose of drawing them to Himself was not for them to stay there forever. They were drawn in to be sent out ahead of Him and for Him.

It is important for us to be drawn in. There is a personalness to this, but it is also corporate. He frequently called his disciples and sent them out in groups. We were never intended to walk this road alone. He draws us and calls us to a group that is bigger than ourselves. It is there where we learn to walk and talk with Him along with other like-minded people. It is in these moments when we are feeling like we never want to leave His side, that He sends us out to help others discern the calling in their lives. He draws us in to send us out to draw others in.

Milk to Steak

Re:Verse passage – 2 Thessalonians 2:13–17; Hebrews 5:11–13; Romans 16:17–18 (day seven) 

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. Hebrews 5:12

A few weeks back I wrote about the longing of Newborn Babies talking about my newborn son’s desire for milk and equated that to our desire for the Word of God. Expounding on that illustration a little further, wouldn’t it be weird if it had been my five year old son who was crying for his mother’s milk instead of the newborn? Our expectation is that our boys’ appetite and cravings will mature with their age. In contrast, our five year old now wants to eat what we are eating. He even asks to try our food if it looks different from his. Before long, I will have him craving a big ribeye steak. His appetite and cravings are a reflection of his growth.

Discipleship is the same way. We shouldn’t have to hold the hand of those we are discipling and continue to lead them back to the basics over and over again. We should expect that their appetite and craving for the Word of God will mature with time. If we become dependent on a handful of spiritual leaders, then the masses will continue to cry for milk of those leaders. If we teach them how to mature in their appetite, encourage their cravings, and give them opportunities to try to do it on their own, then we will see the masses becoming leaders.

Multiplication

Re:Verse passage – John 15:6–10; Hebrews 12:10; Acts 13:2–3; Colossians 4:2–4 (day seven)

Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. Acts 13:3

One of my favorite things that we have implemented into our worship gatherings at FBCSA is the commissioning of mission teams. We embody this passage of scripture as we recognize the calling from God in these individuals, surround them with prayer and the laying of hands, and send them out. It is simple. It is scriptural. It is beautiful!

What if we could do something similar for discipleship as well? Maybe in our Bible study classes we could commission one another to go into our communities to make disciples. These smaller groups are already designed for discipleship to be happening regularly. They are a part of that discipleship process and promote further discipleship to happen outside of the class. These groups are also designed for more intimacy and accountability. What if we told our class who God was calling us to disciple, they laid hands on us, prayed for us, and then held us accountable to go and do this? Imagine if the people we discipled became a part of that group and then they were sent out to disciple someone else. The heart of discipleship is multiplication. If we (individually and corporately) are not multiplying, then we aren’t discipling.

Would you join me in this? As Danny asks often, who are you doing life with? If you are not in a group, join a group! If you are in a group, how are you going to multiply within that group?

Natural Submission

Re:Verse passage – Ephesians 5:21–6:4; Matthew 12:46–50; 19:27–30 (day seven)

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:21

Modern culture gets bogged down in the semantics of this passage. People simply don’t like the word “submit” or as referenced here “be subject to.” What most people miss is that this passage actually starts by telling us that all Christians need to submit to one another. Mutual submission. When you really think about it, there is no one on earth that is not subjected to someone else. We all have to answer to someone else. Submission only becomes difficult when fear and force are driving the relationship, but submission comes naturally when trust and love are driving the relationship. When I learned about what Jesus did for me on the cross, I could not help but submit myself to Him. When we come to the true knowledge of the love of Jesus Christ, we will naturally submit to Him. Same goes for our personal relationships too. When true love is evidenced, we cannot help but submit to one another. That is natural mutual submission.

Maturation

Re:Verse passage – Colossians 1:9–11, 28B–29; 4:2–4; Ephesians 4:11–16; James 1:2–4 (day seven)

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine… Ephesians 4:14a

The common thread connected in the passages this week: Maturation. Maturing in your faith does not mean that you find some new word from the Lord that no one has ever thought about before. Rather, a mature faith is grounded and steadfast. In today’s “Christian” culture, we are heavily influenced by social media and celebrities. People like to hear speakers who tickle their ears and feed their infatuation with self help. In an attempt to become trendy, it becomes easy to sacrifice doctrine for soundbites.

We do not change doctrine. Doctrine changes us. Maturing in our faith is recognizing that God has been and always will be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The mercies of God may be new every morning, but His love is steadfast, true, and never changing. When you hear something new that sounds appealing, test it against Scripture, test it against Church history, and test it with prayer.