Author: Rick Henderson

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.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Thess. 1:3; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18 (day seven)

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 1 Peter 2:2

It is 9:30pm on Saturday night. I just paused the show that I was watching with my wife to write this blog because she was called to the other room to nurse our three month old son. This is our norm. Albeit true that my son needs the milk for survival and that his cry signifies that he believes this is a dire situation, it has only been a few hours since his last feeding. This particular feeding is not for survival but for satisfying a longing deep inside him that grows more and more desperate with each cry.

That is exactly the type of longing that we should have for the Word of God. Our soul is crying out desperately to meet a longing deep inside of us. If only we would hit pause more often on the world around us so we could take the time needed to meet that need. Imagine the growth we could see if this became our norm!

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:4-5, 9-11; Acts 8:9-13, 34-39 (day seven)

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4

We as a church, and historically as Baptists, hold to the belief that believer’s baptism by immersion is an important step of obedience in the early moments of a new believer. However, the water is not what saves you. Salvation happens inside of the heart of the new believer as they recognize that Jesus is Lord. If we want to get technical here, Salvation is absolutely nothing of our own doing, but truly a gift from God in response to our faith:

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

With that said, Baptism is the outward expression of this inward grace. It is symbolic of us being buried with Christ in His death and raised to walk in new life (Romans 6:4). Not only is it commanded and exampled by Christ, but there is something solidifying in telling the world that you are unashamed of Him:

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

It is also an opportunity for the Body of Christ to celebrate with you and to promise to walk along side you. Baptism is not just about the person being immersed; it is about all of us being united together in His Church. So help us fill our baptistries with people and praises as we all celebrate this Gift that has been given to us all!

Re:Verse passage – John 3:1-9 (day seven) 

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Jesus by night… John 3:1-2a

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night? It is commonly taught that he was avoiding being seen by his religious counterparts. The first verse lets us know that he was a prominent member of the Jewish community. Had he gone to Jesus during the day, word would have spread quickly that he was there. The other stance you could take was that Nicodemus knew that this was his best shot to have an uninterrupted moment with Jesus. No matter the initial reason, this is what he got: time with Jesus. It wasn’t immediate, but it was this time with Jesus that changed his life forever.

When Jesus was taken down from the cross, Nicodemus was there: Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 

Discipleship is all about planting seeds. Nicodemus came to Jesus timid and unsure, but by the end of Jesus’ ministry, he was bold and confident. Why? Time with Jesus is never wasted. Time with Jesus will always bring change.

Re:Verse passage – 1 Corinthians 16:15–18; Acts 18:1–8; 11:22–26 (day seven) 

For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men. 1 Corinthians 16:18

I feel refreshed. Though my body aches and my eyes keep on closing, I have never felt more refreshed in my life. If you are unaware, I have spent the last week at Impact camp with hundreds of teenagers and a dozen churches from all across the state. You probably would not expect “refreshed” to be the word choice for that experience, but my soul and my spirit have never been more refreshed.

An intensive time of discipleship like this can be draining, but what becomes refreshing is seeing the product at the end. Watching students give their life to Christ for the very first time, students rededicating their life, and students being called into vocational ministry are well worth the time and energy that go into a week like this.

It may not be camp, but if you feel the weight of discipleship, serving, or teaching, keep looking toward the goal because your spirit will never feel more refreshed than when the people you have been leading finally get it.

Re:Verse passage – Luke 14:25-35 (day seven)

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27

The people had no idea that Jesus was being prophetic here. Jesus spoke in parables and illustrations; surely this was another one, right? This was horrifying! Everyone knew that if you took up your cross, then you were not returning from it. This was personal. It wasn’t just “A” cross or “The” cross; this was a call to take up your own cross. Jesus was calling each individual to be willing to start something that they would see to the end. He doesn’t just want us for a moment. He doesn’t just want us for a little bit. He wants all of us for all of time.

Except this wasn’t a parable, nor was it an illustration. Jesus was literally telling his followers what it was going to look like for them to take this road with Him. Today, he asks us to join Him on that road. Are you willing to give Jesus all of you for all of time?

I write this from Impact Camp as we prepare the campus and our student leaders for a week of immersion with Jesus. Pray for our students to become committed disciples of Jesus this week. For some it will be for the first time, for some it will be a challenge to give Jesus all of themselves, and for others it will be a calling to take their faith to the next level. Pray for our students to realize that Jesus wants all of them for all of time, as He does for you!

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 28:16-20 (day one)

Go ye therefore and make converts of some places by inviting them to church so someone more qualified than you can teach them what it really means to follow Christ. 

That is not what this says right? Why then does this encapsulate the vast majority of “Christians” in America today? We have a discipleship problem.

We have so elevated the pulpit, that we do not believe that the average person is capable of leading and discipling someone in Christ. We feel like if we can just get them to church (not a bad starting place), then we are doing our job. We have become dependent on revivals, conferences, and camps to create our conversion moments while we sit on the sideline and hope the pastor does the discipling. True disciples are made in relationships, not in events.

As we as a church get ready for camps and VBS, I long for and pray for conversion moments. I believe these types of events are paramount to our faith and beneficial in creating an atmosphere for someone to draw near to Christ. My prayer though, is not that I would lead them to Christ, but that our students, leaders, and volunteers would be a part of that process and then come alongside us in taking the next step in discipleship:

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; vs 20a