A Cup of Tea With Me

I was given a message, this morning. I was not going to share it, but have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to share it. Maybe it will mean something to someone else, like it has me. Before I share the message, I would like to tell you this will be my last blog post for a while. I will be taking a “computing break” for a time. I will only be using the computer for finances and email. If you have my email address and would like to check in on me, from time to time, feel free.

Now for my message. This was whispered to me this morning at about 5:45 AM. This message has changed my out look:

“Your house is a mess. Your life is a mess. Your heart is a mess. All three of these need to be right for any of them to be right. One cannot be clean without the other two.”

I hope this speaks to the person that God wanted me to share it with…

God bless, and I will see you when it is time.
Melly

HANDY LITTLE CHART
God has a positive answer:

Psalm 139:14 (NIV):
   I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

 This verse is on my heart lately, (might have something to do with a study I am doing. ) but I thought it was an appropriate way to start out my Thankful Thursday. Praising God and being thankful is what this is all about, right? I have so much to be thankful for. God is so good.

• Earlier this week, I confessed that I read a book that bothered my spirit. I had no peace. Well, I have asked God to forgive me for putting secular entertainment ahead of Him. God has not only forgiven me, but He has blessed me for finally seeing that I am to avoid that type of entertainment (fantasy, magic, etc.).  I have real peace (not circumstantial peace, but the kind of peace that can only come from Him), and my ears hardly rang yesterday. I am so thankful that no matter how far we go, He will always take us back.
• I am thankful that God has given many people musical talent and that we have a great number of Christian musicians that we can listen to. It helps me to keep away from secular rock, when we have bands just as talented, or even more so, that we can listen to, who praise Jesus with their music.
• I am thankful that when we are faithful, He blesses us. I stopped tithing for a while, but I tithed all of last month. I got a raise yesterday. You have no idea how wonderful this is to me. You see, I have been working for this company off and on, but more on than off, since December 2003. I got a raise my first 2 weeks working there. I have not gotten another one since then. You have to remember they are a very small company. There are the two owners, who are husband and wife, and three to four employees at any given time. Very small company.
• I am thankful that there is a dinner at church tonight, for the women’s ministry, and I am going. It will be a blast. They are going to have tables set up for each of the different things that women can get involved in my church. I cannot wait. It is going to be so much fun.
• I am thankful that Valorie will be there, tonight. I so enjoy getting to spend time with my sister.
• I am thankful that I can call my mom almost every day, and use my monthly cell phone minutes, and not have to pay long distance.
• I am thankful that Moosey is not as wild as he looks.
• I am thankful that Moosey has found someone to play the music with, who has the same values as he does. They get together at least weekly and play their instruments. I pray that, if it is God’s will for their band to work out, that the right musicians fill those empty spots.
• I am thankful that Boog has a a friend that he can talk to every day.
• I am thankful that school starts in 11 days and counting.
• I am thankful that I had time to blog yesterday. I will not publish that much on one day, in the future however, I will write it out and publish one or two a day (I still have more to go in the disciple series).

What are you thankful for? Why don’t you head on over and visit Iris and join in on posting your own Thankful Thursday?

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Heart for God (John 1:38-42)

1. Does he/she seek to obey God in every area in which she knows God’s will?
2. Does he/she spend time in God’s Word?
3. Does he/she seek to tell others about Christ?
4. Does he/she spend time in prayer?
5. Does he/she talk about what he/she is learning from the Lord?
6. Is God changing his/her life?

Available (Luke 5:1-11)

1. Has he/she been willing to participate in ministry opportunities? Has he/she been increasingly willing to sacrifice his/her time to take advantage of ministry opportunities?
2. From what you know about this person, would his/her schedule permit him/her to be involved in ministry opportunities?

Faithful (John 6:66-69)

1. Does he/she follow through on commitments?
2. Does he/she make commitments to do things he/she knows are important?

Teachable

1. Does he/she seek out the advice of others?
2. Does he/she apply God’s Word to his/her life?
3. When he/she is convicted, does he/she respond?

Your Goal
Simply put, your goal is to invite 2 people to meet with you for 1 1/2 hours a week for a year (if you are in a college town or are discipling students, you may want to set this up to be “for a school year”) and then multiply by encouraging them to do the same. In that time, you will mutually encourage each other to be more like Jesus Christ.

How do I begin?

1. Pray about who God has for you to disciple.
2. Ask yourself, “Is this person faithful and teachable?”
3. Approach him/her and say, “I have been praying about spending time each week in a discipleship relationship with someone. The Lord has laid you on my heart. I’d like to know if you’d like to meet with me (and possibly another person if you have a triad) once a week to study the Word, pray and challenge each other to become more like Christ. Pray about it this week and let’s get together sometime so I can tell you more about it. You can commit to it after that if you choose.”

The first Get-together: The Commitment Meeting

• Get to know each other. Share your testimonies, about your family, you ministry involvements, your future aspirations, etc.
• Discuss the commitment, both time commitment and spiritual commitment. Be specific in your expectations about meetings, materials, teachability and openness.
• Discuss curriculum or material and what kind of assignments you’ll be giving.
• Give him/her a discipleship covenant and “Plan for personal growth” sheet to fill out and bring back to the next meeting as an indication of readiness to begin (both to come later).
• Set your next meeting time.

The second get-together

• Share about what God has been doing in your week.
• Talk over the the personal growth sheet. Ask for clarification. Make notes about topics you’d like to cover and needs that jumping out based upon what he/she wrote down.
• Read Luke 9:1-6, 23-27, Luke 1425-35 together and answer the following questions:
  • What is a disciple?
  • What does it cost to be a disciple?
  • Am I willing to count the cost and follow Christ?
  • What does it mean for me in a specific, tangible way on a daily basis?
• Give him/her your first assignment.
• Ask for prayer needs and pray together.

What now?
Every week plan to spend about 30 minutes share about your week and asking accountability questions, 45 minutes on the material you have chosen and 15 minutes praying together.

Every so often, evaluate the discipleship process. If it seems to hit a valley, you may want to try and change things up a bit. Or sadly, if things are not working, you may need to end the relationship.

I am not done with my posts on discipleship. I need to head out for errands. I hope to finish these posts today, but it may be later this week.

Last night I was at work. One of my neighbors, a young man who works next to me that we have just started being friendly to each other, came over to say “hi”. It was terribly slow so, I had my Bible out, and I was reading the Psalms. He asked what I was reading, so I showed him. I did not go into detail, because he is Muslim and having several Muslim friends, I have a respect for their beliefs. — Several of my Muslim friends and I can carry on healthy discussions about our religions, the differences, why we believe, and so forth, without it getting ugly. — I want to point out right now, I have a few Muslim readers, and a few Pagan readers. I am not bashing Muslims. We have to have a healthy respect for each other to be able to talk to one another.

Once this young man learned I was a Christian, he started talking very negatively about my family. In particular, my oldest son. He told me that he could tell me my son did drugs, just by the clothes he wore, and that I needed to be a better parent and raise my kids more like he was raised!?!?!

I (not so) politely pointed out that I was a recovered drug addict. My brother did drugs for almost 20 years. I KNOW what a drug addict looks like and I KNOW what a drug addict ACTS like. Yes, my son dresses like an individual, but that does not mean that he does drugs! Moosey and I have a VERY open relationship about drugs and drug use. He knows that I was addicted. He knows that I almost died from a crystal meth OD. He knows these things. He is not going to be stupid enough to try to do these things.

Moosey has a friend. This friend came to the mall, ‘tweaking’ one day. I pointed it out to Moosey. He tried to tell me that was just the way the guy was. I pointed out some of the more obvious factors and he said, “You know what, mom, you are right, that is a bit worse than it usually is.” He KNOWS I know what I am talking about when it comes to this, and he knows he will not be able to sneak it by me.

I cannot believe this young man (a high school junior), was telling me how to raise my kids. I know I am not perfect, I know that I need help in some areas, but telling me my kid is on drugs, when I know he is not is not even just a little bit cool! Moosey has had his run in with drugs, in Jr. High and another childs ADD meds. He has learned a valuable lesson and I do not think he will repeat that mistake, while still living my my home. He may forget his morals and my ideals when he gets out on his own… but I have three years or so to worry about that one.

Sorry for the vent. I just had to share.

*EDIT* I need to point out that this guy and my son go to different High Schools and he has never even spoken to my son.

Blog posts normally take me a while to write. Reading your blogs usually take time, too. I cannot sit at the computer for too long (30 minute intervals now days) because if I sit in one place for too long, I loose circulation in my legs below my knees. My feet and lower legs start turning blue and hurting. Just thought I would try to explain a little more about why I blog so sporadically, or comment on your blogs more often. It is not that I do not love and appreciate you all. It is just that I cannot sit for too long.

1. Life Investment

2 Timothy 1:1-4 (AMP):
PAUL, AN apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, [my] beloved child: Grace (favor and spiritual blessing), mercy, and [heart] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!
I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers,
And when, as I recall your tears, I yearn to see you so that I may be filled with joy.

Paul’s discipleship of Timothy was clearly based on a relationship, on that was “rooted and grounded in love”. Not impersonal teaching, but a deep intentional, relationship.
Mutual love (John 13:35), transparency and accountability.
Customized to the unique needs of individual people. - Be flexible
Walk alongside each other - running the race together (Hebrews 12:1)

Corinthians 3:3 (AMP):
You show and make obvious that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, not written with ink but with [the] Spirit of [the] living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2. Multiplication

2 Timothy 2:2 (AMP):
And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also.

Disciple a person in a way that they will be able to reproduce themselves.
This is why it is important to seek out faithful and teachable people to disciple.
This was Jesus’ plan for discipleship.

3. Transformation

Romans 12:2:
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Transparent trust - be real and open with each other
Encouragement (Hebrews 11:24-25)
Walking through the tough times together (1 Corinthians 12:26, 1 Thessalonians 3:10)
Knowing the truth of God’s word and making it a priority! (Psalm 19:7-11)

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (AMP):
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),
So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

But I don’t feel capable to do this…

Matthew 4:19-20 (AMP):
And He said to them, Come after Me [as disciples--letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!
At once they left their nets and became His disciples [sided with His party and followed Him].

Jesus doesn’t call people who are already qualified and ready to “make fishers of men”…instead, He is is the one who made them fishers of men. Jesus was their adequacy, and He is our adequacy too (2 Corinthians 3:5). He isn’t looking for people who think they know what they are doing, who think they can handle this on their own; He is simply looking for our humble obedience and submission to His will. If God calls you to disciple someone, he will provide you with the strength to do it!

It’s true; we aren’t capable of doing this…in our own strength

Ephesians 3:20 (AMP):
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]–

Before we ever get started, we have to come to the realization that we will never be effective disciples according to our own strength and ability. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit in us that we will be able to disciple others. Humble yourself before the Lord and surrender this over to Him.