loving tough

By Heather Zempel
(http://www.churchleaders.com/smallgroups/small-group-articles/147901-the-reason-your-discipleship-process-is-frustrating.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Update)

"I've talked a lot recently about making disciples. I'm struck by the fact that Jesus told his followers to go "make" disciples, not "find" disciples.

Once upon a time, someone stumbled upon my blog because they did a Google search for “how to shorten the discipleship process.” Which prompted me to immediately write a blog post on how the discipleship process cannot be shortened. And if that’s what you are looking for, then you are in the wrong business. This isn’t FedEx. It’s not even the Pony Express. It’s discipleship. The life-long pursuit of God and invitation to others to follow you in that process.

In the Great Commission, Jesus instructed us to go into all the world and make disciples…

As leaders, we think we are accepting that challenge, but in reality, we are trying to find disciples. Jesus said go make disciples, not go find disciples.

If the people in our groups are not growing, it's our fault. If we get discouraged after one month or one year or even three, we haven't yet grasped that discipleship takes time. Twelve Galilean guys spent three focused years with Jesus himself and still didn't show up for the prayer meeting on the most important night in history.

We often look for disciples. We look for a potential leader. We hope to find someone with maturity and gifts that we can raise up. We forget that Jesus told us to go make them. Not find them. If you can't find a potential leader in your group, in your ministry, or on your team, it's not their fault. Don't blame them for being immature or needing to grow. It's your fault. It's my fault. We are supposed to make disciples. And making disciples is long, hard work.

The only way to measure success in discipleship is by looking at reproduction. At multiplication. Two verses continually serve as guideposts for me.

2 Timothy 2:2- "You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others." Discipleship is about shared truths. It's passing on what God has taught us to another. This is the environment of face-to-face discipleship.

1 Thessalonians 2:8- "We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too." Discipleship is also about doing life together. It's about shared experiences. It's about inviting them into the opportunities and activities that you do and letting them be a part of them and learn with you and from you. It's the environment of shoulder-to-shoulder discipleship."

The Matthew 5:44 Principle

My mother always told me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” For
a long time I tried to follow this principle, especially with people who I didn’t get along with. If I saw
someone I didn’t like, instead of giving them a piece of my mind, I would hold my tongue. This worked
for me and I figured that it worked for God too since He did say love your enemies. But I soon realized
that not speaking to one’s enemies did not equate showing them love. When the bible says love your
enemies, it means in the same way that God loves us. That means we are to pray for them with the
same fervor that we pray for our family and friends. I had to go out of my way to speak to people who
I knew probably wouldn’t speak back. I made it a point to rejoice in their good news and mourn with
them when something bad happened. I didn’t shut them out of my life like I wanted to; I tried to open
up and invite them in. It was and is hard, especially when your “enemy” is someone who hurt you, but
it is through your love that they will see Christ and also through total forgiveness that you will receive
healing. Remember today to pray for your enemies and to pray that God continue to heal whatever hurt
they left behind.

How He Loves

More than anything else in my Christian life, I've always been boggled by God's unfailing love. How is it that a God so holy, so exalted would be concerned by me? How is it that He would have anything to do with me? His love is something that I wrestled with, ran from and denied -- all because of a great sense of unworthiness. Yes, I am unworthy of His love -- I will always be unworthy of His love. But that's what makes it all the more remarkable. His love for me is greater than any sin I could ever commit. It's stronger than any feelings of guilt I may have.  His love for me drove Him to give His life and His love is now what gives me life. Even though I learn more everyday about His great love, I still cannot completely wrap my mind around how awesome it is. But, I can say that now I've found that in His love I don't have the time or right to maintain my many regrets or disappointments. Why not? Because in His love I am redeemed and in He sees me as perfect. How sweet it is to be loved by God!



Dove Sister Ariel Pierson

Lyrics to David Crowder Band - How He Loves

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves. 

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we?re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don?t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way....

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.  

FEBRUARY--LOVE

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful LOVE month! That is right, the theme for this month is LOVE. We will be posting love stories, devotionals about different types of loves, creative ways to show love, etc. Please feel free to send in an entry to nulife.blog@gmail.com.

And don't forget PRAYER AT THE FLAGPOLE at 1PM every FRIDAY! If you can't stay, just shout out a prayer request!