This past Sunday was Pentecost–the day the Holy Spirit came in power and baptized the disciples. Before we get into the woods, I want to invite you to pause and enter into a time of contemplation and self-reflection as we explore the profound significance of this day.
In the Book of Acts, we find the disciples gathered together in prayer, eagerly awaiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. Little did they know that this day would mark a pivotal moment in their lives and the birth of the Church. Today, we can still draw inspiration from their experiences and embrace the transformative power of Pentecost in our own lives.
In Acts chapter 1, Jesus instructs His disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, assuring them that they will receive power when the Spirit comes upon them. The disciples, driven by their love and devotion to their Master, obediently gather in prayer, opening their hearts to the divine intervention that is about to take place. How often do we pause in the busyness of our lives, surrendering our own plans and expectations to invite the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us?
The disciples’ unity and their shared anticipation create a sacred space for the Holy Spirit to come. This unity is essential in the life of the Church and within our own spiritual communities. As we gather together, opening our hearts and minds to one another, we create an environment where the Spirit can move freely and work through us. It is through our shared faith and love that the transformative power of Pentecost becomes a reality in our lives.
Pentecost reminds us of the personal transformation that occurs when we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. The disciples, once fearful and uncertain, are filled with boldness and empowered to proclaim the message of Christ fearlessly. In our own lives, the Holy Spirit brings renewal, healing, and empowerment. It is through the indwelling of the Spirit that we can bear witness to God’s love, grace, and truth.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is an invitation to embrace the divine mission and participate in the transformative work of God in the world.” Indeed, the journey of faith is not solely an individual one but an ever-evolving, outward-mobilizing one. Pentecost serves as a powerful reminder of our ongoing transformation, of God’s transformation in the world, and of His future coming. As we continually yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we look to the hope that is and is to come!
As you lead in the weeks to come, here are some questions for you to ponder:
When was the last time you experienced the power of Pentecost in your own life?
When was the last time those around you experienced the power of Pentecost?
Where in your life do you need to wait for God?
How can you cultivate a spirit of waiting for God among those you lead?
As we embrace the holy day of Pentecost, may we cultivate unity, both within our communities and within ourselves, allowing the Spirit to work through us to bring renewal and empowerment. Let us remember that our journey of faith is one of continuous transformation, and even the simplest acts can become vehicles for the Spirit’s transformative touch to our own lives and the lives of others. May this Pentecost be a time of profound self-reflection, renewal, and a deeper surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
This past Sunday was Ascension Sunday, or the day Jesus ascended into heaven.
In the days and weeks before he left the disciples, Jesus instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift the Father had promised–the Holy Spirit.
It’s easy to skip over that part – the gift of the Spirit. Often, at least in the faith tradition I grew up in, we would skip to the part about what the Spirit does through us–signs and wonders, evangelism, teaching, proclaiming, growing in the fruits of the Spirit. We sometimes get lost in what the gift produces. But today we’re going to focus on this–the gift that is the Holy Spirit.
And it’s a gift we desperately need.
Because of the gift of the Spirit, we can hear from God at any time. While the Old Testament is full of prophets and ordinary believers responding in faith to God’s direction, it was actually an extremely rare occurrence to hear from God, and often happened only through a messenger sent from God to deliver a message. The gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s voice speaking directly to us by His Spirit. We are encouraged, comforted, reminded, guided, and accompanied by the Spirit of God in our faith, in our daily lives.
Because of the gift of the Spirit, we have the ability to endure suffering as Christ endured. We are strengthened by the same power that strengthened Christ. And what’s more, we are not left alone to endure our suffering – indeed, the Spirit of God endures with us.
Because of the Spirit of God, we can truly and intimately abide in Christ–all the time, everywhere we are. The Spirit is with us, within us, and around us at all times. It’s not only through our times of prayer and devotion that we are abiding. It’s while we work, as we run our errands and cart our children from place to place, as we pull weeds from our gardens and mend broken appliances in our homes, and as we gather with friends and family for dinner. The Spirit is with us, and through the Spirit we abide in Christ.
Brother Lawrence, a 17th century French monk, once said, “The time of work does not with me differ from the time of worship; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, even while several people are at the same time calling out for different things, I commune with God in as great a tranquility as if I were upon my knees in prayer in the holiest cathedral of worship.”
This is the gift of the Spirit of God with us. That in every moment, as we relish in the joys of life and grieve at the sufferings of it, communion with God is always available. May we recognize this gift for what it is–not a means to an end or to some grand work for God–but as the presence of God with us. Just for us–a gift that never withers or fades. The most precious and eternal gift of all. Emmanuel.
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. / Acts 17:22-34 (NIV)
On this sixth Sunday of Easter, we’re observing what’s commonly known on the church calendar as “Rogation Sunday.”
If you just cocked your head and raised your eyebrows, rest assured–you’re not alone!
This past Sunday is known as Rogation Sunday because the following three days are often days of fasting and prayer. According to Bishop Alastair Redfern, “The word rogation comes from the Latin verb “rogare”, meaning ‘to ask’, which reflects the beseeching of God for protection from calamities. As the Book of Common Prayer puts it: ‘Rogation Days are the three days preceding Ascension Day, especially devoted to asking for God’s blessing on agriculture and industry.’”
What sticks out to me most in this week’s passage is the Athenians altar to “an unknown god” (v. 23). Paul says to those in the assembly – “you are ignorant of the very thing you worship!”
When I read Paul’s words here I often find myself chuckling and shaking my head – worshiping an unknown god? Building an idol to something/someone when you don’t even know their name? It seems so inconceivable. But it may not be too far from our very own experience.
Let me explain.
The purpose of Rogation Sunday – the week before Ascension Sunday – is prayer and fasting. The purpose of prayer and fasting is to draw us closer to the God we worship. I would argue that our ignorance of the Almighty God is not so far removed from the ignorance of the Athenians and their unknown god–because in order for us to know our God, our eyes must be opened that we may see and know Him. When we first set off on a discipleship journey following Jesus, He is, in so many ways, a mystery to us. Unknown, but not unknowable. Foreign to us, but knows us well.
The purpose of prayer and fasting, then, is to align our hearts, our bodies, and our minds to the will and the person of Jesus so that we may know Him, love Him, follow Him, and do the works He has sent us out to do.
So I want to encourage you this week – as you pray and fast, ask yourself these questions and commit to discovering the mysteries of God you’ve not yet known!
Questions for reflection during Rogation Week:
What assumptions have I made about God that may not be true?
How have I interpreted the truths of God through the lens of my culture? What might the Holy Spirit be telling me about this?
Has God tried to reveal Himself to me in a way I have not felt ready or willing to see or accept?
Is my heart positioned to discover the unknown things of God, and the reality that there are things about Him I will never know in this lifetime?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?
When have you faced your fears and come through stronger on the other side? Perhaps you’ve experienced a moment when things didn’t go how you had hoped, and it required everything you could muster to push through the situation. But you did what was required of you! That’s courage.
It takes courage to be a Jesus follower. And to be a leader of Jesus followers who are on the same journey takes courage.
Here are 5 aspects of courage:
Strength in the Spirit
When you are with like-minded followers of Jesus, you can often detect a deep sense of connection which is manifested by the Holy Spirit.
There is something mystical about unity in the Spirit: you have sensed it, you know when it is present, you long for it when it is missing. Unity in the Spirit has a galvanizing effect.
Think of your best experiences when working with other Jesus followers. What made it so special?
Questions to assess and build your team’s spiritual unity:
What are the most meaningful, spiritually rich team experiences you have had?
What contributed to the spiritual unity you experienced?
How can you take what you learned and move it forward for your current teams?
Strength in Conviction
It is exciting when you’re a part of something bigger than yourself and share the same resolve with others on your team.
When you are a part of something bigger than yourself you must involve others. But not just anyone: the people the Lord has prepared for the particular mission of your team will have a set of shared convictions that will outlast the challenges and difficulties ahead.
It is thrilling to look back after difficult moments have passed and see the way the Lord has helped your team come together when it mattered most. It can also be humbling to look at the “grit” required. The sense of camaraderie and “sticktoitiveness” builds confidence for the next project, and the next, and the next.
Questions to assess and build your team’s resolve:
What task are you and your team undertaking that will require high commitment?
What can you do to free-up your time to give this more attention?
What is one thing you can do to increase clarity for you and your team?
Strength in the Vision
If mission clarifies, vision motivates.
Churchill made one of the most epic speeches in history when he stated: “This was their finest hour.” It conveyed a message that was inspiring. It also displayed his ability to cast vision when Great Britain and the rest of the allied forces needed it most on 18 June 18, 1940, just over a month after he took over as Prime Minister and after France had sought an armistice on the evening of June 16.
Vision motivates. It describes the “why” behind the “what” and “how.” When you capture the essence of a vision and communicate it in a compelling manner, it can be magical!
Questions to assess and build your visioning capacity:
When have you communicated a compelling vision?
What made it so compelling?
How can you apply what you learned for your team(s) moving forward?
Strength in Unity
The unity you share with your team is so powerful that the strength you embody rubs off on others.
Unity is a powerful force! When your team members work in unison towards a common vision, it is energizing. People love being part of that type of team! Think of your team and how much fun it is when you are operating at your best.
Unity is contagious. When your team functions at its best, the individuals become more and more confident. Other teams take notice and before you know it, your team infects the others.
Questions to assess and build your unity:
What are the things that bind your team together?
What detracts from your team’s unity?
What are some ways to enhance team unity?
Strength in Numbers
When you surround yourself with ministry partners who share your passion, it strengthens the bond you share and gives you confidence that together, you can accomplish much!
Surround yourself with ministry partners who share the same passion! It is sometimes necessary to go it alone. Going solo can last for a season but, whenever possible, invite others into the mission.
Loneliness is a vicious enemy. You can manage these moments for a while, but over the long-term it can erode your confidence, increase anxiety, and result in a decrease of productivity. With a team you can feed off each other, celebrate success and share the struggle. Everything being equal, you will go further faster – resulting in greater fruitfulness.
Questions to assess and build your numbers:
What are the advantages of working with others?
Who has complimentary gifts that you like working with?
How can you bring them one step closer to become part of your team?
What strength can you draw from the courage of Paul, Silas, Timothy and Jason in the following passage?
1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.[a] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
7 Questions to Take Courage
Following are questions you can use personally (or if you are coaching a group of Jesus followers) to make more and better disciples.
What brings you the most joy?
In what areas are you gifted?
How does this match up with the way you spend your time?
What changes in priorities do you need to make?
What can you stop doing and no one will notice?
What can you delegate
If you could make these changes, how would this impact you and your ministry?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
How many times have you found yourself doing something, then a few minutes later doing something totally different than what you started out doing, unsure how you got there? In your ministry is it hard to stay focused?
It is easy to experience mission drift in the midst of a busy, fast-paced ministry. Today we’re reflecting on the unfolding Easter story in the sixth chapter of Acts and the founding of the church–and yes, missional focus and the church of Acts are related!
Spoiler Alert! The apostles faced the same tendency you face–to get involved in things outside their calling and gifting. What did they do? How did they deal with it? What can you learn from them?
Acts 6:1-9 (NIV)
Seven Men Chosen to Serve
1 But as the believersrapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
What to do when you suffer from mission drift?
The apostles went through a discernment process to refocus their energies on the things God had gifted and prepared them to accomplish: their mission. Here are the steps they went through:
Assess – they listened and observed what was going on
Reality Check – they realized people were being neglected
Production Capacity – they realized the movement had outgrown their team
Delegation – they identified people better suited to distribute food
Focus – they put their energies into the few things they were gifted to do
When you are suffering from mission drift it is one thing to recognize it, but it’s quite another to do something about it. Consider the following tips:
Assess
When you listen and look at what is going on around you, what do you see? What’s working? What forces are working against you and your mission? These insights will help you recognize, honor and strengthen the good and address the counter-productive, challenging growth points keeping you from moving your mission forward.
A sober analysis of the ministry will bring clarity. Understanding the true measures of success and having a means to evaluate the metrics is critical to the mission of your church, ministry or organization. Identify the metrics that matter, measure them regularly and make changes as needed.
The things that got you to where you are today may not be the same things that take you where you want to go in the future. Your structures might be a limiting factor. Or you may not have the right kind of leaders you need to take the church, ministry or organization to the next phase in its development. Whatever the limiting factors are, be aware that the organization you have today probably will not be the same organization 5 to 10 years down the road.
Coaching Questions:
How has our structure served us well?
What changes must we make to our structure to move into the new reality?
The genius behind the Apostles was their willingness to delegate the responsibility of food distribution to deacons who were passionate about this ministry. For this to work, you need to identify people who are gifted and passionate or else the ministry suffers. Do you have a way to identify people’s spiritual gifts, passions and/or behavioral style so that you can help them find the best fit for them? Once you have trained, released and coached them, move aside and let them lead.
Coaching Tip:
What areas can we delegate?
Who are the most capable, passionate, and gifted people to lead these areas?
Pruning allows leaders to see reality clearly. The more clearly you see your situation the better able you are to execute. Once you have a clear picture of where you are going, consider how this will impact others on your team.
Coaching Tip:
What good things are happening that don’t contribute to the results we are after?
What are the growth inhibiting activities that are hindering the outcomes we are after?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
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