A Legacy of Discipleship

Posted on by justinlewis78

I imagine the Apostle Paul at the end of his life; his memories of recent years of preaching and suffering are filled to the brim and somehow the corners of his mouth are curling up with an unspeakable joy.

I’m not sure if one can call it “pride” when we describe the satisfaction of churches planted, heresies silenced, hundreds of both Jewish and nonJewish men and women discovering the truth of the resurrected Savior, more than a dozen churches.  Paul could not know in these moments that his letters would pass through the fingers of servants and strangers to reach our minds and encourage our souls.  And yet, that’s exactly what the Holy Spirit worked in him to do.

In spite of the direct impact of Paul’s legacy, we often overlook his initiative to take on future leaders…his own disciples.   Timothy, Silas, Sylvanus, Epaphroditus, Philemon, and others.  And while these men saw Paul as a mentor-figure, he saw them as “co-workers”.  I imagine the honor these men would cherish – to know that Paul thought of them and treated them as men who shared in the apostolic mission to carry his name to the nations:

…the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man (Saul) is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16 (NIV)

Such a mission! To carry his name. His holy, weighty, powerful, majestic, life-giving name.  It was on this name…on this person…that Paul claimed all of his churches are built on him.  In perhaps one of his more famous metaphors for the church, Paul describes the people of God as a building:

Through God’s loving-favor to me, I laid the stones on which the building was to be built. I did it like one who knew what he was doing. Now another person is building on it. Each person who builds must be careful how he builds on it. 1 Cor 3:9-11 (NLV)

The Greek here is arkitekton – that’s right, the architect.  The head-designer AND builder.  Paul looked at Christ as the perfect foundation and then chose the best human-materials to build the rest.  (Not “best” as in worthy, but best as in the best available resources.)

So, friends, where do we do this?  By looking at those whom God has placed around us.  We invite one, two, five, (maybe even!) twelve people into our lives to learn and grow with us.  And we reject the notion that we have nothing to offer the kingdom.  For the ungodly lies seek to thwart our disciple-making work with..

…because of my past,
…because of my sin,
…because I’m too young,
…because I’m too old,
…because my wounds are fresh,
…because I’m not a good teacher.  (and on and on…for we will never run out of excuses)

It does not matter if you call yourself a discipler, a teacher, or a mentor.  What matters is that you BUILD UP the kingdom with fellow stones.  What matters is the obedience to multiply God’s family.  What matters is the community that becomes more creative, breathtaking, and dynamic all because we never give up on the mission to live like Christ in this world and invite others into the journey.

In this work of disciple-making, remember that the spiritual gifts were given to all to develop a stronger and healthier Christ-centered community:

So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. (1 Cor 14:12, emphasis mine)

So let your imaginations fly!  Begin to live into Paul’s vision of the beautiful Kingdom of God that takes the best available materials around you — namely, your neighbor — and creates cathedrals out of common stones.

After all, that’s all Paul was.  Just another stone willing to be used by God.

Why I miss college ministry

Posted on by justinlewis78

I stepped away from college ministry in March 2015.  It was a terribly difficult decision for me since I have adored working with college students since I graduated college in 2000.  When you do college or campus ministry, you agree to step into people’s lives from all backgrounds – with young men and women who have a vague preconceived notion of “God” or no notion at all.  Sometimes you get to work with amazingly talented, brilliant, and spiritual students.  Sometimes you see their faith flame up into a roar.  Sometimes you get to nurture the embers.

So why did I leave?

In my first few years I rode the wave of appointment after appointment; men and women who wanted a pastor.  I listened.  I counseled.  I taught.  It was thrilling.  It was fun.  In those days, I remember laughing and co-creating a ministry that developed a true Christ-centered community.  There were days I would go home smiling and be so grateful to do the work I got to do.

But something changed.  I began to resent students’ busy schedules.  I grew weary of the cliquey Greek culture that competed with (my idea of) Kingdom-culture.  I grew jealous of other ministries or other churches.  I grew to distrust my leaders for their lack of followthrough. And finally I developed a wound of insecurity in my own ministry position at my church.

I felt misplaced in a sea of church-based programs and I grew disconnected from my own calling.  This doubt surged in my final year as I sought mentors, counselors, spiritual advisors and, yes, even mood-managing medicine.  The end result was a reaffirmation of my calling and a decision to step aside from my ministry with a sense of peace.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Days like today I miss college college ministry.  I miss being able to sit in a dining hall or quad and bump into a myriad of faces.  I miss dreaming with student leaders.  I miss the evangelism.  I miss taking them on mission trips and watching their faces as they take off in a plane for the first time…or share the Gospel for the first time.  I miss the mild “politics” of roommate disagreements or relationship advice.  Days like today I think about how simple it all really was.

For those years, I got to bring people to the feet of Jesus.  I got to introduce them to the earth shattering Truth that he alone is worthy of our lives.  That every heartbeat is a chance to carry his Name to the nations.

So for those of you with a passion for this generation for college students, please give them your best.  Please show up and invite them into the most exhilarating journey of real life in Jesus Christ.

Chances are…someone did that for you… and that’s probably why you would even read this blog.  🙂

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

Posted on by justinlewis78

This post was written upon reflection of the ESPYs and clips of Jimmy Valvano and Stuart Scott prepare us for the award show tonight.

I first heard Jim Valvano’s words back in 1993: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.” (If you haven’t watched this…please do.)

I was just a 15-year-old kid who loved UNC basketball, yet here was our rival’s coach drawing every human emotion out of me and I could not understand why.   Twenty-two years later, I can now resonate with the need for Jimmy V’s challenge… and how so many of life’s challenges invite us to choose a path of fight or flight. Stand or surrender.   Being a person of faith in Christ usually means we do a bit of both. Sometimes, we pick battles that stand for something—a moral code, justice, defending the little guy or a decision to believe something our culture does not.  Sometimes, we have to look a little more like our rabbi Jesus who taught us to love our enemies and pray, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done” and in doing so, we deny our agenda and yield to Another’s.

So how do we choose? When do we stand or fall?

Twenty-one years after Jimmy V’s challenge, another fighter stepped into the spotlight. In 2014, Stuart Scott (UNC alum and ESPN icon) gave this clarification:

“When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. So, live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight then lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you. That’s also very, very important. I can’t do this “don’t give up” thing all by myself.”

Scott’s inspirational words remind us that our humanity shows us what we are capable of and also how needy we are. Our strength and weaknesses are both part of the story God is writing for us.

I was recently speaking with a mother of a young adult who was raised in our church, but chose a lifestyle of rebellion and pleasure. Recently, this young man attended church and has asked his parents for some biblical wisdom and affirmation. “We’ve been through this,” she said. “We can’t afford to go down this road again and get our hopes up, only to have our hearts broken again.”

How do you convince a parent to keep fighting for her beloved son? I could only offer her a reminder that this boy too was baptized and loved. Parents and the church made a commitment to never give up. We made promises. And we keep them. We continue to fight for him and so many others on our trembling knees before God. After all, it is His will we are seeking, so we should be approaching Him, pleading with Him, thanking Him through each challenge that throws us into uncertainty.

I am reminded of Paul’s words to a young discouraged man leading his church in Ephesus,

3-4 Timothy, you are constantly in my prayers. Day and night I remember you before God and give thanks to Him whom I serve with a clean conscience, as did my ancestors. I really want to see you, especially when I remember how you cried the last time we were together. Yes, I know it would make me joyful to see you again. 5 What strikes me most is how natural and sincere your faith is. I am convinced that the same faith that dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, abides in you as well. 6 This is why I write to remind you to stir up the gift of God that was conveyed to you when I laid my hands upon you. 7 You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit. (The Voice translation)

Paul tells this young pastor that while things are difficult now, he is being prayed for and loved on. The problem might linger, but his heart will be strengthened through days of earnest faith. Paul reiterates that the faith of others (his mother and grandmother) has been instrumental in his past and current situation. In short, the tapestry of prayers weaved by the saints bring Timothy present encouragement.

So for now, we wait. With faith that wavers, ebbs and flows. Yet we are also strengthened by moments on our knees or tweet-prayers shot to the heavens while we’re stuck in traffic. Our God — and “the cloud of witnesses” from our spiritual family – allow us to never give up.

We will never run out of fights. Some of them will take us to our final breaths. But we should never believe the lie that we can be defeated.   For only one, allowed Himself to be defeated by the weight of sin. Yet even then, our glorious King Jesus rose again to defeat death and show us that HOPE will always remain.

So fight. Fight like hell. And if things don’t go your way, let the grief of loss take you into the arms of a resurrected reminder of everlasting victory. Don’t let fear keep you from praying for those you love. Don’t let pain keep you from climbing that last hill. Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.

Why “not a corner”

Posted on by justinlewis78

My story in faith includes many of the typical facets of discovery, rebellion, apathy, obedience, courage and doubt. I do not downplay any of these moments – for they are deeply rooted in the trials and explorations of a rich relationship with God.  Yet these glimpses do not capture the magnitude of the greater calling of my heart.

Over the years I have discovered the most confusing thing about being a Christian is the way we try to manage the person of Christ in day-to-day, week-to-week realities.  To many, he is a story or someone to think about for a few hours a week.  Often he is someone who embodies the guilt trips and voices that clamour – “why don’t you pray more?” or “why don’t you give more money away?”

buddy-cornerI have found in both study and in experience that the story of Christ is more than a category to be filed into our emotional file cabinet.  Or another way of looking at it – he isn’t given a corner of my room, (like Buddy sitting awkwardly in Walter Hobbs’ office).  He is not a roommate to divvy up space with – he is the Sovereign and Supreme ruler of all things.  He is Judge, He is Beginning and End.  He is everlasting.  He is love.  He is Lord.

This became clear to me when Brennan Manning quoted Dorothy Sayers in Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus.  Sayers wrote:

The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused him of being a bore – on the contrary, they thought him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mile,’ and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies.

The stunning realization of my ridiculous attempt to “pare the claws of the Lion” floored me.   It is as though a stony heart within me begins to cry out. One cannot make declarations of Lordship without yielding every part of yourself to Christ.  And yet we try.  Many make it through an entire lifetime thinking that we gave God “enough”.  But is that the calling into spiritual adoption?  Is that what the faithful live for?  Is that what I want to live for?

I am not saying this has been fully implemented in my spiritual life.  I am saying this is my daily endeavor: to give God everything.  To live fully for his glory and fame.  To belong to the Spirit’s ebb and flow while being used as a weapon to pierce the darkness however he sees fit.

4 years

Posted on by justinlewis78

I recently saw a promo for Salem College and it asked, “How will I change the world?”  The response was “I don’t know.  But I know where I will begin.”  Do you ever stop to think about where you began?

4 years ago I stepped in as Director for Emmaus.  Over the years I have been able to make and cherish relationships with so many of you.  I knew little of rolling the quad (your own quad!?!), or of Salem traditions, or Shag-on-the-what-now?  But I learned from each of you.  And I learned with you.  For graduating seniors, this is an especially tender moment as I can recall moments from your first days to laughing and celebrating with you in these final months at school.

We can’t possibly know what these years at college will do in us when we first arrive.  4 years ago, I was trying to figure out how I could possibly learn all your names.  4 years ago, you were probably thinking “Wooohoooo!  College!!!”  And that probably became “I can’t wait to be done!”  And now I’m sure there’s a new thought: “I’m not ready to leave!”

Student, you aren’t meant to tarry too long in these formative years (sniff, sniff).  Instead you are meant to capture every ounce of insight, companionship, joy, the occasional sports victory, the late night milkshake runs, romantic crushes and career preparation as well as the mistakes we learned from and the desire to grow as pilgrims on the journey.  We at Emmaus have done our part to prepare you but the road ahead is one Christ — the pioneer and perfecter of faith — is eager to meet you on.  And that’s really where you begin… and why we will rejoice when we think of you.

Can we commit?

Posted on by justinlewis78

I got this new phone. It’s one of them “smart phones”. It has everything I want and more; all sorts of great gadgets and apps. (And all I really wanted was a wireless calendar app.) According to my cell provider, I have 30 days to check it out. 30 days to know for sure whether I want to commit to a 24-month relationship with this phone. After 30 days, that’s it. No take backs. No start over. I’m locked in.

I’ve been asking myself, can I commit? I’m pretty sure, but I have my doubts. In fact I’m the type of guy who leaves the plastic protector on the screen, just in case. I even forked out additional money for a hard plastic “shell” to keep my new baby safe…just in case I decide to send it back. Sure, my lack of commitment will keep my phone pristine and virtually new (or new looking) but at some point—probably on day 31—I’ve got to take the plunge.

The metaphor is true too of our spiritual lives (and emotional, physical, mental). What are the things of commitment in your life that you’re struggling to commit to? Is it study habits, plans for study abroad, a degree change, a relationship? Or even more important, is it finally yielding to a trust in our great God? And in that trust, find an assuring peace in a “life in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-26).

22-23But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. —The Apostle Paul, Galatians 5:22-23

 Not that we have to give God “permission” to infiltrate our minds and draw us in to his plans, but at some point we have to give in. We have to settle our hearts in God’s heart. We have to trust that when we peel off that from-the-factory screen seal, that everything will be safely in his hands. This, I suppose is “life according to the Spirit” – when we find ourselves taking a plunge into the things of God and remaining there with Him.