Practical Renewing of the Mind

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (NASB)

The scripture tells us (in Romans 12:2) that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is one concrete way we can do that. Instead of focusing on the bad news on the TV or the radio, instead of what we watched at the movie theatre that may have been sad or depressing, or instead of the ugliness we can see in ourselves or others, let us make a different choice. Let us focus on things that really matter - Truth, Honor, Morality, Purity, Loveliness, Good report, Excellence, anything we can praise people around us for - let us choose to make that our moment-by-moment emphasis.


Prayer:  Heavenly Father, put it within us to choose to keep in mind these good things, and renew our minds as we exercise ourselves in the effort.  Make us into the image of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.  Amen.


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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

The Cost of Discipleship

Phillippians 3:7 "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." (NASB)




The German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book called The Cost of Discipleship. In one of the most lucid treatments I have read on the topic, he essentially said that that cost of discipleship to Christ is our very lives. This is one of the verses that he used; the apostle Paul reflects on the cost to himself personally.



In verses 4-6 of this chapter, he describes his earthly qualifications and awards. He was the perfect religious man under Hebrew law, zealous in his own pursuit of God, even to the point of his pursuit of the perceived heretical "wayists," the followers of Christ. He was a student of Gameliel, one of the greatest Hebrew scholars of all time. He spoke at least 7 languages fluently. He had the equivalent today in two university doctorates, and a master's certificate in a trade (tent-making). (The master's certificate meant he could teach apprentices, and he did - Pricilla and Aquilla.) After all that acheivement, verse 7 says that he counted it all as a loss for the sake of following Christ. Verse 8 says that he in fact considered these things as common garbage, to be thrown away to do so, culminating in verse 10 that says, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."



Let us consider for a moment what Paul has said. First, it is "that I may know Him." This does not refer to mere salvation, but it says "and the power of His resurrection." John 3:16 says that "God SO loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have eternal life." Not only is he talking about the concept of quanitiy, that is, of living forever, but of quality, in the sense of eternal vigour and vitality! And he even talks about how we get there; this is the part that is difficult. "...and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." This is not something that our old nature wants to hear. And yet, it is the only way we can be trained to walk in His glorious new Life, our new and heavenly nature.



This culminates in verse 14, which says, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In verse 13, he talks about how we need to forget the past and reach toward our future, toward what we are becoming in Him. Many times, we think this can be done without suffering and pain, but this is not so, according to Paul, and according to Deitrich Bonhoeffer. The cost of our discipleship, or as I prefer to think of it, our on-the-job training, is our very own life. Steve Camp wrote a song that perfectly expresses this in the line: "To give all that we are / For all that He is / This is the Gospel according to Jesus."



Jesus came, it says in the gospel of John, that we might have LIFE, and that we might have it more abundantly. As we partake of His sufferings, that is as we choose to die to our own will and yield our will to Him, we gain entrance into that life. Brothers and sisters, let us be those who will count our lives as a loss, declaring it to be garbage compared to walking in the newness of Life Jesus brings.



Prayer: Heavenly Father, I yield my will to you. Lord, take this mess I call my life and exchange it moment by moment for His glorious and heavenly life. Let me be filled with heavenly vigour and vitality, here on Earth, according to your will, which is carried out in Heaven. Energize me to press on toward that upward call in Jesus Christ, in whose name I pray. Amen.
 
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Follow The Leader

Philippians 2:5-11 "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (NASB)


In my life experience so far, I have met people that were thrust into positions of leadership that were ill-equipped, I have met people that have real leadership ability that don't want the position of being in charge, I have met people that want to be in charge that have next to no leadership ability, and I have met real leaders. In fact, at given periods, I have probably inhabited all of those spaces personally. Although I could speak in detail on what qualities of leadership make or break someone in command, it would be pointless, because everything the world thinks is successful is turned upside down by Jesus Christ.


Jesus took a completely different attitude. He did not put on airs of command, though He would have been the man that legitimately could. It says he "emptied" Himself. The sense I got from a survey of 14 different translations that included KJV, NASB, and others, is that emptying was a putting aside of His own nature as God (verse 6 says He existed in the form of God). The King James, Modern King James, and Webster translations all say "He made Himself of no reputation" in an attempt to express that. (Young's Literal Translation uses the word "empties", and the Greek word κενόω has the meaning of emptying or making void, like erasing a blackboard or emptying a pot of its contents. After that, it says he took upon Himself the form of a slave, the servant of all. In fact, it says that he bound Himself under God's laws, and obeyed them, even though it cost Him His own life in the most painful way I can imagine. But what did this mean practically? It means that Jesus took the lowest place and served everyone, not just by His death, but by His life as well.


John 13:2-5 "During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded." (NASB)


This act of washing the feet was, in the culture of the day, an act of hospitality, that equally represented both humilty and affection, particularly when performed by the host. It was a loving act, and true to form, the disciples did not recognize it as such, but my point here is that the one man that could have commanded us all took the lowest place and served us. One commentator (J. N. Darby) has said that now that He has returned to Heaven, He is still serving us. And He expects us to do likewise.


It is by serving others that we become more Christlike. The Scripture says that we should "have this attitude" in ourselves that also characterized our leader. The Greek literally says "let this mind be in you." What I think this indicates is that we need to yield ourselves to our new nature in Christ and LET this service flow from that new life, as opposed to struggling and straining to do this from our old (even religious) nature. (We have this perpetually driving need to DO something. I believe this can be a representation of our old nature trying to get back to God all on its own as opposed to simply believing what the Bible says in Galatians 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.")


Brothers and sisters, let us be those that let ourselves believe the Word of God, and believe that we have traded our old, pathetic, perhaps even religious life for His new and perfect, gloriously liberating life. Let us allow our minds to be transformed into the mindset of the servant, as Christ did when He walked among us - and let us then go and be the servant of all, as our own leader did, and learn from Him the path of true leadership.


Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to set us free from the penalty and power of sin in our lives. Thank you that we can now yield ourselves to His new nature in us, and let His mindset, the mindset of service, be in us. Father, we pray that you would transform our minds that we could also be your servants and follow our Leader, Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Conduct Yourselves in a Worthy Manner...

Phillipians 1:27,28 "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God." (NASB)

What does it mean to "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ?" It means that our behaviour should be suitable for the gospel, agreeable to the gospel. For example, would a servant of the good news ever participate in a bank robbery? Most likely, they would not. How then should we behave? In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us a bunch of behaviours to emulate. (The really interesting thing is that as we perform those activities, we become more like Jesus in character.)

Further, the phrase "standing firm" in Greek gives the image of wrestlers who stand in the fight and do not let their feet be moved backwards. It is appropriate imagery for the Christian Disciple; we are in a spiritual wrestling match. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." The King James version translates that accurately as "We wrestle."

The apostle Paul finally encourages us not to be alarmed by those who stand against us. It can be alarming when someone does or says something that flies in the face of good and moral behaviour, especially when it is done intentionally to set us off. Weymouth says, "Never for a moment quail before your adversaries. Your fearlessness will be to them a sure token of impending destruction, but to you it will be a sure token of your salvation--a token coming from God." Remember how Nehemiah stood in the face of social, political, and even military opposition. He had the assurance that God would fight where He could not - and it is the same for us.

Brothers and sisters, let us be those who walk in appropriate behaviour and attitude for the furthering of the good news of Jesus Christ, striving for the truth as those who wrestle and who will not give ground. Let us not be disturbed by our Adversary or his minions, knowing that as we stand up to him, he will flee, because we stand in the grace and authority of Almighty God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who died in our place, and rose from the dead to show the penaly for our wrongdoings was paid, and that the power of sin in our lives has been broken once for all. Help us, Lord, to stand in the grace of His life, and not be afraid of any kind of opposition, because you have not given us a spirit of fear, but instead, you have given us a spirit of love, of power, and of a sound mind. Thank you Father, for the love and gifts you bestow upon us. We pray in Jesus' might and precious name. Amen.
 
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

What is a "Real Man" and how can I be one?

Check out this facebook article!

http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-holy-bible-brought-to-you-by-rev-mark-brown/a-call-to-fathers-everywhere-its-time-to-be-courageous-will-you-take-a-stand/10150607071537152

Now check out this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkM-gDcmJeM

Tell me, men - were you moved the same way I was?

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Service without fear...

Haggai 2:4,5 "'But now take courage, Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD, 'take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,' declares the LORD, 'and work; for I am with you,' declares the LORD of hosts. 'As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!'" (NASB)



Haggai 2:4,5 "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the LORD; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the LORD, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not." (KJV)


Have you ever been afraid? These men were. They were engaged in the restoration of the Temple in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and they faced social, political, and even military opposition to their service to God. However, God promised them that He was with them; they need not let fear prevent them from serving God. We can learn from their example. Jesus, in his final words in the Gospel of Matthew, said ""All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:18-20) Let us serve Him without hesitation and reservation.
 
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Jesus Christ - our Definite Article

John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." (NASB)


John 1:1-5 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (KJV)


A (poor and incorrect) translation I once read of this verse said that the Word was A God. They are only half right. There is an article in the Greek - but it is NOT the indefinite article, it is the definite article - the Word was THE God. Only Jesus Christ fills that claim and description. He alone could say in John 14:6 that He was THE way, THE truth, and THE life, and that NO ONE could come to the Father but by Him. Jesus Christ - our Definite Article.
 
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Overcomers, Inc. - The WHY...

Revelation 3:19-22 "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (NASB)



Revelation 3:20 is a popular verse when we share Christ with people. In fact, it is one of the verses that was shared with me at the time I became a new creation (it pushed me over the edge!). However, it was written to the church, His body, His followers. The context here is Jesus speaking to His church about their complacency and apathy. He promises that to those who will shake off dull sloth, that they will sit on His own throne! Let us be those that are not complacent in the face of a world that has grown cold toward God.


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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

New Year's Eve, 2011 - A Resolution?

As I sit here contemplating the beginning of another year, my mind turns to a tradition that I first learned of in Grade 1 called the "New Year's Resolution."  I had never heard of this before, it was totally new to me as a 6-year-old, and I wondered why my parents didn't tell me about it.  Everyone in my class seemed to know about it, why didn't I?


Well, it turns out there are two groups of people.  (Isn't there always two groups of people?  The category you want to talk about, and then everybody else.)  There are people that make resolutions, and there are people that don't.  However, which category has less stress?  The people that don't bother to worry about stuff like that or the people that have their conscience hounded by spoken or written words?


I actually figured it out.  I'm proud to say that every year since I was 6, I have made one resolution and have kept it every year since then.  So what is this great resolution you ask?


It's very simple.  I resolve that I will make no resolutions other than this one - not to make any New Years Resolutions.  And you know what?  I'm a lot happier... ;)

Happy New Year, everybody!  Keep smiling!
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - Corporate Implications for the Disciple

We come to the point in our consideration of the practice of the original group of believers in the book of Acts. If you will recall, in the first article entitled "Discipleship 101 - What is discipleship anyway," I stated that the practices listed in Acts 2:42 could be best described with the phrase "they continued steadfastly." I would like to point out that this was not a solo effort. THEY continued steadfastly. It is without doubt that they practised these things as individuals as discussed in the other articles here. So why did they need to practice them together?



People make much out of how they don't "go to church," because of the problems they see in organized religion. I wholeheartedly agree with their analysis. However, I am not speaking of an organized religion, or a dead system of rules for behaviour. I am referring to an organic relationship with the "Ecclesia," the Greek word used in the New Testament for the Church, the Body of Christ.


The word Ecclesia has its beginnings about 1500 BC in Athens, and is a reference to their political gathering in the Acropolis. If you weren't aware, the Athenians practiced direct democracy, where everyone had a voice and everyone had a vote on the issues of the day that were of importance to their city-state. The English word "Church" does NOT originate from the word Ecclesia, but rather the Greek word Kuriakon, meaning "dedicated to the Lord." By either word in Greek, the concept of the Church as a building is glaringly absent. The Church is the collective gathering of those that Jesus has saved from the world, not the place they gather together. One has well said that the Church is not the building, but the people in it. The clear implication here is that the Church is a place of relationship, not rules.


The original group of about 3000 believers that were saved out of the world that first day the good news of Jesus was proclaimed abroad didn't have a building to go to, but a budding relationship with their risen Lord. It was a natural extension of their personal practice to come together and practice these things corporately as well. THEY continued steadfastly. Together. As the very BODY of the risen Christ. And like a body, the different members needed each other to grow.


I have spoken over many years to people that think they don't need to "go to church" to be a Christian. Although they are correct, they are missing out on the very mechanism that God has provided to bring us to maturity in Christ. I once heard a fellow say that "Going to Church makes you a Christian about as much as going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger." He is right! Faith in Jesus, God made flesh to die for our sins and set us free from sin's power makes us Christians. However, if we're talking about growth, the Ecclesia is the place that happens. It has been well said that "no one is an island."


In fact, I read posts and emails from and speak with Christians who struggle with sin in their lives, who are depressed all the time, and have no prayer life to speak of, don't read the word, don't worship, don't fellowship with God on a daily basis. When I ask them where they attend regular worship, they say "nowhere." It is no mystery to me that they have no real maturity as Christians, absent from others who could help them in their walks with Christ just by being there together with them. Why is that? Why do we need the corporate gathering of ourselves?


The very first reason (and I suspect this is what people are trying to escape naturally) is that it gives an accountability to your walk with Christ. It is very easy to claim Christianity as your banner if there is no one to tell you what that means. There is no context for your behaviour, and no one to challenge you if you are going astray. And it is our fallen nature to go astray...even the Apostle Paul, arguably the greatest disciple of the first century, siad that of himself.


The second reason (and people also run from this, they feel vulnerable) is that you actually have other people in relationship that are going in the same direction. It says in Ecclesiastes that where one falls, another will pick them up, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. We need others to relate to, and we need them constantly. If we don't have them, we go astray (again, see the life of the Apostle Paul).


Individual practice is the basis for corporate exercise. We need to be in a strong place of fellowship where they practice the study of the Word, Fellowship with god and with each other, Worship of God collectively, and Corporate Prayer.


As always, if you have questions, please message me.


Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple

Original article here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Christian-Disciple/241608885901471?sk=notes#!/notes/the-christian-disciple/discipleship-101-corporate-implications-for-the-disciple/267027620026264

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Tribute to my Dad, Gord (1943-2011)

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - Prayer

As we come to the final practice of the original church listed in our Key text of Acts 2:42, we should also bear in mind that this also has individual and corporate applications. It is a very big subject with varied opinions on what constitutes prayer. My attempt here is to show what the Word of God says about the practice.

At it's most basic level, Prayer is communication with God. It is not accomplished through some intermediary but is direct with God Himself personally. According to Easton's Bible Commentary, it "presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold intercourse with us, his personal control of all things and of all his creatures and all their actions."

Prayer may be verbal and spoken (as Jesus did in John 17, for example), or it may be silent (as described by the Psalmist David in Psalm 5:1 when he says "consider my groanings" and like passages). It may express joy and worship, or it may express grief and sadness. Overall, it is the way we communicate with God.

The Lord Jesus gave us a great pattern prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 when asked by the discples how to pray. Jesus said, "Pray then in this way: Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.] (The part in brackets does not occur in some manuscripts, and it is not my intention to discuss whether it was part of the original prayer, I include it for completeness.) What can we notice about this prayer?

First, our address is to our Heavenly Father, the source of everything. He is our creator, and He is our provider. Our address is to the King of the Universe. Second, it declares the holiness of God, which is a part of worshipping Him. We should always approach God in reverence. Third, it implores God to do His will on Earth as it is done in Heaven. Prayer should always be given in the context that God is God and he can do whatever He feels is best. Fourth, we ask for our daily provision. Fifth, we ask for forgiveness with the caveat that we are walking in His example of forgiveness. (Remember, Jesus forgave His crucifiers from the cross.) Sixth, we ask for protection from the enemy of our souls. Finally, we close with more worship. This is the Lord's great pattern prayer, not to be memorized and recited mindlessly, but instead a pattern to be followed as we communicate with God.

But why pray at all?

Matthew 21:22 says "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." John 16:24 gives us another secret - "Until now, you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full." Jesus Himself says that as we pray in His name and authority, God will answer those requests. There are three answers I have encountered over the years - yes, no, and wait. A positive answer needs no explanation, for God has fulfilled the request. An answer of "not yet" is harder to take, but God is not restricted by our timetable or agenda, and so grants these things at the perfect time. The answer of "no" is the hardest to understand.


When God answers "no" to a request, it is for one of two reasons. The first of those is because it is not the best for us. "Oh God," one once prayed, "let me be a rich person so that I may serve you better." What the person did not understand is that great wealth would have harmed them more. The second reason God does not answer prayer is selfish sin. James 4:3 says "You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." 1 John 3:22 says "and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. [Emphasis added.] We need to give consideration to our motives in asking, and that we are walking with Christ.

This most cursory examinations on the practice of prayer in the Bible is by no means complete. I recommend books written by E. M Bounds around the end of the US Civil war or a more recent book by Paul E. Billheimer called Destined to Overcome for the serious seeker.

As always, contact me if you have questions!


The original article is posted here:  http://www.facebook.com/JesusChrist.Savior#!/notes/the-christian-disciple/discipleship-101-prayer/260241137371579


Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - Breaking Bread - Worship

In our consideration of the practices of the very first group of Christian converts, we come to what our key text of Acts 2:42 calls "the breaking of bread." As before, there are both individual and corporate considerations, but in this article, I will restrict myself to the individual exercise.

The breaking of bread is a specific ordinance of Christian worship that was practiced by the very first group of Christian converts (Acts 2:42). It involved the sharing of bread, symbolic of the body of Christ, offered up as a an atoning sacrifice on behalf of all fo us, and wine, symbolic of the new agreement between God and man, sealed by the blood Jesus shed at Calvary.


Worship in this context is the celebration of the work God has done for us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus on the cross of Calvary. In an individual exercise of this, what this means is the remembering what Jesus has done for us. I find it helpful to consider the events described in the Gospel of John. John 1 tells us that He created us. John 3 tells us that He loved us so much that He became one of us. John 18 tells us that He was arrested out of political and religious jealosy. In John 19 He was whipped and killed. But in John 20, Jesus miraculously rises from the grave, showing that He had not only paid the price for all sins through all time, but that He had also set us free from the power of sin in our lives. The direct implication is that we can now choose not to be the way we were, and we can choose not to do all the things we kick ourselves for the next day. That is what we call to mind when we worship God. We should be doing this daily.


We cannot get beyond what God has done for us through the gift of the Cross. It was no easy thing that Jesus did there, and it cost Him His life. We must remember that He did this for US. It was our sins for which He paid the price. It was the power of sin in OUR lives that He broke. When we see this fact of history, and realize the importance it has for US, it makes us thankful, not only for what He has done, but simply for who He is, because He was willing to set aside His own glory and place in Heaven and become one of us simply to die the most painful death imaginable to reconcile our accounts to God. When my own heart sees this, it makes me worship Him even more.


Thanksgiving and praise for who God is and what he has done helps to keep us focused oh Christ, the centre of our faith and life in God. By exercising our hearts in this fashion, we walk with God the way a Christian disciple should.


As always, contact me with your questions.

The original article is posted here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Christian-Disciple/241608885901471?sk=notes#!/note.php?note_id=259059797489713


Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - Fellowship (individual)

As we continue to examine the Christian lifestyle adopted by the very first group of Christian converts, we come to the consideration of individual fellowship with God. God has called us out of death and into life, and into fellowship with himself. But what does that mean?


The Greek word for fellowship here is the word koinonia (koy-nohn-ee'-ah), and it is defined in Strong's Concordance as partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship. This has some amazing implications!




The very first implication is that God would even want fellowship with us. Yet He has called us into participation with Him in the affairs of life. This call is for everyone! John 3:16 says that "God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." That participation we consider is a call to be with God for eternity, living with vitality and purpose! And we can begin that participation in this present day. So how do we do that? How do we participate in God's abundant life?




What we must realize is that for the Christian, those who have accepted God's invitation to this fellowship, our life has been exchanged for His. Romans 6:6-11 says "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." He has traded our paltry lives for His glorious and abundant life! But how do we participate in that?




We must continually yield from our old ways and live in His newness of life. Pray something like "God, I yield my old nature to You. Please fill me with that vital life of your Son, Jesus and let me live in His new life." For some things, this can be minute to minute yielding just to get through the moment. For others, once is enough. In this way, we participate in His life and maintain unbroken fellowship with God. As God lets us experience temptation and trial, we can resist our old nature and walk in His newness of life.




As always, feel free to drop me a line if you have questions. :)



 
Original facebook post here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Christian-Disciple/241608885901471?sk=notes#!/note.php?note_id=258448620884164

 
Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple


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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - The Apostles' Doctrine - The Word of God

As we consider the four main practices of the Christian disciple, as seen in our key verse of Acts 2:42 (They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.), we should remember that these have both individual and corporate implementation.  Because the corporate practices are built on the activity of the individual, the next series of articles will consider the individual implementation of these habits of discipleship.

What is the apostles' doctrine, anyway?  Why do we say it is the Word of God?  The Apostle Peter, speaking in reference to the writings of the Apostle Paul, saidn in 2 Peter 3:16, "as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."  The emphasized section talks about how the Apostles viewed each other's work - as making Scriptures - or revealing the Word of God.  (I do realize that Peter is on a different topic here, but his reference is still there and still in context).Okay, so if it's the Word of God, why should it be studied?  After all, don't Christians have the Holy Spirit inside them to guide them into all truth?  YES!  We do.  And the Word of God, that is the Scriptures, are the mechanism that He uses to do just that.  King David said in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  God's chosen King of His people recognized that it was the Scriptures that were to be his direction and guide for his life.  In fact, David goes on to say in verse 125, "I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies."  So what are we actually studying?

John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was [the] God."  [An incorrect translation has the word was "a" god - the Greek actually has the definite article "the," which we drop in English.]  That Word of God is none other than our Saviour Jesus Christ.  So studying the Word of God is studying the life, the actions, and the works of Jesus.  Does that mean we restrict ourselves to the red letters in some of our Bibles?  Not at all.  Consider His works - verses 3-5 say "All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."  And we need to comprehend everything about Him and His works.  We need to get to know Him - through the Word.

Practically, what does this mean?  Personally, I set aside time every day to spend time reading His Word, worshiping him, fellowshipping with Him, and praying in His name.  It doesn't have to be a long time.  You don't have to read the entire Bible in a week, for example.  But if you were to read a chapter a day, that would take up about 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the evening if you read a chapter each time and prayed about it, then worshipped God for a few minutes.  That is what is meant by practical discipleship.
How does one study the Bible then?  Whenever I read, I ask three questions:

1. What does it say?
2. What does that mean (specifically to me)?
3. What am I going to do about that?

Known as the Inductive Method, or Chapter Summary, it is a way to focus on specifics of what God wants to share with you personally, in terms of direction, things that He wants to perfect in you, and the like.
As you take the time to read the Scriptures, God will begin to reveal Himself to you through the words you read, and begin to speak to your heart and change your character.  Reading the Bible is like eating a healthy, balanced meal every day.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple

Original article posted here:
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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Discipleship 101 - What is discipleship anyway?

The story recorded in Acts 2 gives a great model of discipleship by showing us what the very first group of Christians did among themselves. Verse 42 reads: "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (NASB)


This says several things about discipleship, but the most important of those can be found in the phrase "they continued steadfastly." The Christian journey is one that will require ultimate commitment from all of us to our Lord Jesus. He gave His all for us, and expects no less from us as we learn to follow Him. Dictionary.com defines steadfast as firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend. Once we have decided to follow Jesus, that must be the Christian's highest goal. But what does that mean? How can we put this into practice?



The very first group of people that became Christians (about 3000 we are told in Acts 2) followed four basic categories of activity as follows:


1.The Apostle's Doctrine - The Word of God
2.Fellowship - Spending time with God and with other believers
3.Breaking of Bread - Worship
4.Prayers - for themselves, for each other, and several types


They also performed these activities at two very different levels. First, they practiced these at a personal level, on their own as a follower of Christ, they studied the Word, they fellowshipped with God, they worshiped God, and they prayed. Second, they did this as a group, corporately - they had Bible studies, they fellowshipped with each other (the image of God, and member of His family), they worshipped together, and they prayed together.


There is a lot to be said on each of those four categories of activities, and I will be periodically posting notes about each of them, both for individual and corporate exercise. And as they did so, Acts 2:43-47 began to happen: "And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."



It is my sincere hope that as individuals begin to practice this kind of following Jesus, that we will experience the revival we as a Church, His body, so desperately need, and especially that the Lord will add daily to the numbers of the saved, as it says in Acts 2:47.

God bless!

Gerry Brinkman
Administrator
The Christian Disciple

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

How I became a Christian

I have been a Christian now for 26 years, and I have seen a bit of growth in my time as a follower of Jesus Christ.  Given that I am 44, anyone that can do math can tell you that I haven't always been a Christian.  So what happened? 

As it turns out, that's the million-dollar question.  For those of you who have wondered what happened to me in the summer of 1985 to make me so different, and to those of you who only know me from my online activities, and for everyone in between, this is my story.  It's 100 percent true to the best of my abilities, and in hindsight, I wouldn't change a second of it.

I began life in a little town in North-Western Ontario, Canada, where I was born into a family of little means, but of great history.  For the first 5 years of my life, I lived in my dad's uncle's house with he and my parents.  When I was 5, my dad and his uncle bought a Motel, and I spent the next 14 years between that place and my dad's parent's farm.  So I grew up in the sticks, in the service industry, and on the farm.  In hindsight, none of those places are bad to be from.  It sure didn't seem like it at the time.

My dad was an alcoholic.  He was also abusive.  My average weekend while he was around - well, let's just say it wasn't fun.  He was also a truck driver, so he wasn't home a lot.  It's hard to say in hindsight whether I suffered more from the abuse or the lack of a father-figure, but by the time I hit high school, I was one of the most shy, nervous, bullied, lonely guys around.  And because of my lack of self-confidence, I had real trouble making friends, or talking to girls (not that I didn't like girls, they just didn't like me).  I can distinctly remember a day where I was only to glad to get to school to get out of the house and away from my family situation for a few hours.  By the end of the day I was only too glad to go home to get away from all the stupidity that was my life at school.  I remember thinking, "where can I go?" 

This all culminated when I was 18.  My hometown had an open foot bridge over the train yard, where the trains would go speeding through.  I was in a particularly deep depression that day, from all the bullying, all the rejection, all the abuse, all the junk.  I paused to take a deep breath while I walked over that bridge between my high school and the shopping mall.  I looked down, about 60 feet, and it occurred to me that I had a way to make my pain stop right in front of me.  I looked up to see if the train was coming, because I wanted to make sure it was over.  Fortunately, it wasn't.  I have no doubt I would have jumped to my death.  That stuck with me, that event - not that I would repeat it, but that I had so narrowly escaped just because I had missed the train.

About a month or so later, I think, I had a job as a security guard on our paper mill modernization project, where if was my job to make sure all the property of the construction company stayed on the construction site.  I came across a guy on his lunch break reading a leather bound book.  I found out later that his name was Greg, he was an electrician, and he was from Thunder Bay, a nearby city (if you can call 5 hours nearby).  I knew somehow it was a Bible.  I approached him and asked, "Hey, is that a Bible you're reading?"  He answered that is sure was.  I asked the fatal question - "What are you reading that for?"  We talked for about 30 minutes, and he explained to me that he was a Christian, and that he really enjoyed reading God's Word.  I told him that I was a Christian too.  He asked me how I knew that, so I gave him the answer I had learned from my parents:  I was born to christian parents and that we lived in a predominantly Christian nation.  Fortunately, he explained that there was something else involved - that he had a relationship with Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity.

I walked away from that conversation intruiged.  Here was a guy that claimed to have become a Christian, who wasn't born that way, and who said he had an actual friendship with Jesus Christ.  How was that possible?  I began to seek Greg out on other days to run some really hard questions past him.  You know, stuff like, if there's a God, why doesn't He put a stop to all the bad stuff that happens?  Somehow Greg knew that I was talking about myself, that I had experienced those things myself.  He never asked me what happened, but his answers spoke of a real friendship with God.  At that point, I could count the number of real friends I had on one hand (hold up two fingers!).  Neither of those friends knew what my home life was like, but they were picked on as much as I was.  These conversations went on for a week or so.  I was becoming attracted to what Greg was describing.

Finally one night, I found Greg at the electrician's tool crib and he was in charge of giving out supplies that the other electricians needed.  He asked me if I had thought about what we had been talking about, and I answered that I had been thinking about little else.  He gave me a little booklet that explained in detail why and how to become a Christian, and then told me he wanted it back, because it was the only copy he had.  I told him I had to spell off the guy at the security shack and that I would read it and return it to him later that evening.  I returned to the guard house and read it.  It shared four very simple things based on John 3:16, a verse from the Bible which reads " "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."  Those four things are as follows:

First, God really does love us.  "For God so loved the world..."  If you're reading this, that includes you.  It doesn't matter who you are or what you have done, or what you think you may have done - God loves you individually regardless.  In fact, He loves you so much that he gave the best that He had, His Son, so that you wouldn't perish, but have eternal life.  Huh?  What?  Perish?  What does that mean, I thought to myself.

Second, there is a real possibility that we can miss out on that wonderful gift God has for us because something stands in the way.  That something is what the Bible calls sin, but it's really anything that you do that violates God's holy standard.  Ever tell a lie?  Even a white one?  That's a violation.  Ever steal anything?  Even just a buddy's pen when he wasn't looking?  That's a violation.  That kind of thing means that we are separated from God's love.  Wow, I thought - That's me.  I lie, I cheat, I steal, I lust in my heart, I murder in my heart, all of those things are violations.  However, the booklet pointed out that there is hope!  Remember that God loved us so much that he gave His Son?

Third, God gave His Son to pay the penalty for those violations!  We don't have to pay for that stuff, as if we could anyway.  And all we have to do is believe?  In Him, the Son of God?  Sounds too easy, right?  Well, it wasn't for Him.  Read the story for yourself.  He was arrested like a criminal, beaten and mocked, found innocent by two separate rulers, and still beaten again and then put to death in the most painful way imagineable.  All to set us free from the penaly and power of those violations in our lives.  The Bible calls the "The Gospel," or good news.

Finally, this gift, like any other, needs to be received.  think about it.  If I were to give something to you as a gift physically, what would you have to do?  You'd have to reach out your hand and take it!  We're talking here about the most valuable gift ever given - just for you!  Then it shared another Bible verse, this time from the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."  This was the message I had waited my whole life to hear - That God Himself was looking for me, and he wanted to be my friend!  And I didn't have to go to some great place, or do some great deed to be worthy - He wanted me just the way I was.  All I had to do was open the door.  And believe me, I wanted to open that door.  But how?

That booklet shared a final verse:  Romans 10:8-10 says "But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"-that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."  Then it shared a very simple prayer that went something like this.  "Lord, I come before you and admit that I have wronged you.  I see that Jesus Your Son died to pay the penalty that I cannot.  I accept that payment, and invite you into my life to be my Saviour, and My Lord.  Thank you God, for saving me."  I don't remember the exact words, but I remember that I read it out loud, and that I meant every word.

It's very hard to explain what happened next.  It was June 18, 1985, and it was 8:02 p.m.  I remember to the square foot where I was sitting.  But how do you explain all the weight of the world, all the bullying, all the lonliness falling away from my shoulders?  (I actually walked differently, standing up straight probably for the first time ever.)?  I was filled with a joy that I had never known before, and that I still coudln't explain.  I was free of it all, and I had found my best friend.  He had always been there, He was waiting for me!

I have had all kinds of adventures since then, and some have not been good.  I have never been the person I am supposed to be.  But he has always been the friend he promised he'd be, and has helped me pick up the pieces several times in my life since that day.

Now how about you?  I'm sure you have questions.  I'm here to tell you that they all have answers.  And if I can help you show you His answer for any of it, please contact me.  I would be only too glad to make that introduction.


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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

"Trust the Lord" is more than a platitude...

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  (NASB)

 

In the 26 years I have been a Christian, I have heard this verse many times.  I've read it, I've said it, I've been comforted by it, especially these days, where my industry is affected greatly by global economic uncertainty.

 

Have you ever had someone say it to you?  When you were having a hard day, or were stuck in an uncertain situation, did someone try to comfort you with these words?  Maybe someone did - and you took it as a mere platitude.  Maybe it was said that way - ineffectively, as a sort of brush-off.  You said, "I'm having a hard time!"  They said, "Well, trust the Lord!"  It felt like they were saying, "I really don't want to hear about your problems."

 

There might be reasons for that, some understandable, some not - but you found it less than helpful because it struck you as a meaningless platitude.  I can tell you it is no mere platitude!  ! It is the promise of the King of the Universe, and he means it for all of us at a personal level.

 

So what does it mean, "Trust the Lord?" Dictionary.com defines trust as "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence." Quite simply, it means that we can rely on God, on His integrity, His strength, His ability. We can have confidence that God is who He says He is and that what He says is true.

 

So how do we do that? Well, the passage says next "with all your heart." That means with our entire being, we make a conscious choice to rely on what He says. (This gets easier over time, because as we do it He proves He is trustworthy!)

 

Then it says "do not lean on your own understanding." For me, that is difficult. I'm a type A personality (as those of you who have met me recently will attest). I was raised in an abusive situation that taught me that the only one I could really count on was myself. I had to be the good boy, I had to run fast enough that I couldn't be caught, I had to be the smart one to see things coming and then plan to avoid them. I was the one who had to figure it all out! Others are just intelligent and good at figuring things out already. We have a really good understanding, and 99 percent of the time, we are right! But we are supposed to abandon that and lean instead on the promise of the King of the Universe. It took me a while, but I'm starting to figure out that He is smarter than me. (Insert healthy laugh here!)

 

Then it says, "in all your ways acknowledge Him." What? How do I do that? Dictionary.com has five meanings that are all applicable in some measure:

 

1. to admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of: to acknowledge one's mistakes.
2. to show or express recognition or realization of: to acknowledge an acquaintance by nodding.
3. to recognize the authority, validity, or claims of: The students acknowledged the authority of the student council.
4. to show or express appreciation or gratitude for: to acknowledge a favor.
5. to indicate or make known the receipt of: to acknowledge a letter.

 

We need to recognize that we are dealing with Almighty God, and that He, the King of the Universe, is very interested in our progress and doings. We need to be thankful for the situation we are in (that's a whole other topic that I call "on-the-job training), and recognize that he is with us and will see our best interests accomplished.

 

THEN it says, "He will make our paths straight." The King James Version says, "He will direct thy paths." When we put our trust (reliance) in God (the King of the Universe), and do not "try to figure it all out" but simply acknowledge Him and be thankful for the situation we are in, then He will take us to the place that is best by the best possible route.

 

So what about you? Do you want that kind of direction and promise? Do you want the confidence of God Himself as you step into the unknown? The Scriptures say that if you ask for it, you will receive it. Revelation 3:20 says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." He is standing there, waiting for you to simply open up to Him. And He promises that if you will, then so will He.

 

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Encouragement

As a Christian, I used to belong to a non-denominational gathering that was big on "encouragement."  Some folks there really understood what it meant and when to use it, and others had no idea and used something else they called encouragement that wasn't at all.  In this post, I will consider what I think encouragement is and when to use it.

Dictionary.com defines "encourage" in three ways:

1. to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.
2. to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.: One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students.
3. to promote, advance, or foster: Poverty often encourages crime.

So then, to encourage someone is a positive thing.  Or that's what it should be.  Let me talk a little bit about what encouragement is NOT, and this is very important to the consideration.  Encouragement is NOT hostile confrontation.  In fact, the word "confront" does not occur in the New Testament in either the King James Version or any other modern translation that I checked.  (Side note:  There is a time and a place to confront an individual about an issue in their life.  It should not be hostile, and you shouldn't call it encouragement.  This would be better defined as "rebuke" or "exhort," both perfectly good English words that have recently fallen out of favour.)  Confrontation does occur in the Scriptures, however.  Jesus confronted demons, Pharisees and Saducees, politicians of the day, and  other naysayers all the time.  He never did this to a follower unless they were under some external influence (like when he said to Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan.")  With those who needed it, he was the master encourager.
 
An example from my past that may be relevent follows.  Many of you know I didn't have the easiest childhood or home life growing up.  Without laying blame, it would be fair to say that as I reached adulthood, I was not the most confident of people, and there were some people that could read that and exploited it for all it was worth for a period of time.  Over a number of years, I found my footing, and my confidence (in Christ), and got on with my life.  Last December, the company I worked for was bought by its main competitor and about 90 percent of us were laid off on December 6, 2010.  For about a week, I was tooling around trying to figure out what to do with my life.  I decided to take December off to figure it out, and basically avoid the rejection that goes with looking for a job.  When you grow up like I did, rejection is a big show stopper if you let it be.
 
In January, I spent about 1 week looking for work, and came across an opportunity to begin my own financial planning practice.  I met with the fellow that would become my Division Director at Investors Group, and he was encouraging.  He inspired confidence and boldness in me to a point.  However, there was a part of me that was still a scared little boy, still raw from all the hurt put on me by an abusive father.  During my childhood, I never heard phrases like, "I love you, son, and I'm proud of you."  It was more like, "Get up, you stupid little bastard!" after my dad had hit me hard enough to knock the sense out of me.  People say that doesn't leave scars.  I would like to inform those people that they are most definitely and decidedly wrong.
 
Towards the end of January, as I was putting some of the stuff I needed into place (like licensing) to begin my career in financial planning, I had this overwhelming desire to get back in touch with my father.  We hadn't spoken in 20 years.  I had to face this man who was my father, who I now understood wasn't really a monster, he was doing the best he could with what he knew.  I sent him an email, and we were talking on the phone within 5 minutes.  I got to say everything I needed to say - and my dad took responsibility for his acts and apologized!  I really wasn't expecting that, but you can imagine how I felt!
 
Later in the spring (late May I think), my dad came to visit me.  I told him what I was up to, and then he told me that he was proud of me, and that he had no doubt that I could do this, and even offered to get my uncle (a financial planner for 25 years or more) involved if I needed help.  Now THAT was ENCOURAGING.  That is to say, it inspired me with courage and boldness for my new chosen profession.
 
Contrast this to a brother who was attempting to "encourage" someone in their job search.  "Brother, I don't think you're looking hard enough for work.  I think you should be looking harder, and for any old job that will pay the bills.  After all, if a man doesn't work, he shouldn't eat."  So...was that what you would want to hear, just having graduated university, with enough funding to get you through a 6-month period and access to more if you needed it, and looking for about 6 solid hours a day by phone and by foot already?  I know it wasn't what I was ready to hear.  Interestingly, the statement that was made had the same resulting action.  I was motivated to get out there and look harder.  But by what?
 
Encouragement should inspire courage and action.  There is another source that can inspire to action - fear and/or guilt.  Now given the choice, which would you respond to with a better outlook?
 
Since my dad died about a month ago, I have made it one of my missions to try to be an encouraging man, as opposed to someone that inspires fear and guilt.  I'm not all the way there yet, but I have seen some improvements, especially in my kids' attitudes. 
 
Lord, help me be an encourager, with the right word at the right time to inspire courage and hope in their hearts.

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)

Compassion

Matthew 14:14 says. "When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick." Compassion was clearly something that drove Jesus in His service to mankind. (The religious term for that is "ministry," so if I slip and use the word you'll know what I'm talking about.) But what is compassion?

Dictionary.com defines compassion as "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering." Let's think about that for a moment. Deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune. That describes almost everyone I know in some way or another. I have a friend that has a worse back than I do (and that's hard for me to imagine). I have a close relative that nearly went off the deep end when my father passed away. Naturally I sympathized with them - but is that enough? I don't think it meets the entire definition.

There is a whole other half to the definition of compassion, and that is the strong desire to alleviate that suffering. I can feel sorry for a street person and keep right on walking, thinking to myself, what a pity someone doesn't stop to help. Someone should! Someone can. Me.

The best example of this happened to me a little over 10 years ago. I was down in our city's market area with a friend and we happened by a lady in a doorway that was clearly suffering. Her clothes were dirty, her hair was stringy, she smelled badly, and the look on her face was one of total dejection. Both my friend and I were moved and wanted to alleviate her suffering to the extent we could, so we stopped, and my friend asked the lady if she was okay. I asked if there was anything we could do. The lady politely declined our offer of help, and my friend and I went on our way sadly. The next day, my friend and I were downtown again, this time as part of a formal church outreach, and we came across that same lady. I have to pause here, because I'm becoming emotional at the visceral memories this evokes.

The lady my friend and I had met the day previously was obviously the worse for wear. She had obviously been beaten badly. She was wearing the same clothes, but they were spattered with blood (I assume her own). She was lying on the street, in an out-of-sight corner. The blood had dried, so I assume her attacker was long gone, but she was in obvious medical distress, with congealed blood on the ground beneath her. She was conscious, and - get this - still didn't want help! I can say that the two of us that found her were nonplussed. We also weren't taking no for an answer this time. My friend ran off to find a phone to call for an ambulance, and when she got back, I had gotten out of the lady that she was hungry (in fact she hadn't eaten in a couple of days), and I ran off to a McDonalds to get some food. We HAD to do SOMETHING! It was an OVERPOWERING desire to alleviate her suffering. I got back before the ambulance, and we waited with her until they came, and they took her to the hospital. In all that excitement, I forgot one very important detail - to ask for her name!

I still don't think I'm all that compassionate, but I know for certain I did what I was supposed to do, because that what Jesus did in Matthew 14:14. The Bible instructs us to have compassion on others, to feel deep sympathy and sorrow with those afflicted with suffering, and then to have a strong desire to help alleviate that suffering. May we be His servants and follow His example.

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"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
-John 8:32 (NASB)