Randall Baptist Church

Have you ever seen a lighthouse up close and personal? At one particular spot where my family vacations is a place called Harbortown. The location is aptly named for the boat harbor it surrounds. At the entry to the harbor stands a lighthouse which is no longer in active service, but instead is open to tourists. A long climb up the circular stairs inside the lighthouse leads to the walkway surrounding what used to be the room where the actual light was located. When looking out from the walkway, one can see past the channel to the ocean beyond and imagine the boats proceeding at night from the darkness of the sea to the safety and shelter of the harbor by following the light.

We are in a world where people live in a state of spiritual darkness, their sinful natures separating them from God. Jesus came as the light of the world saying, “Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12b). As He shined forth His light by preaching and living out the gospel, people found their way from the domain of darkness into God’s kingdom by following His light.

Our responsibility as children of the light is to continue to do Jesus’ kingdom work by shining forth His light into the darkness around us. In short, we are to be lighthouses. And how do we accomplish that? First, we must walk in the light ourselves. This consists of living by the truth, having fellowship with one another, and obeying His commands (I John 1:5-8). Second, we must love one another with actions and in truth (I John 3:11, 16-18; 4:7-12). Third, we must make disciples by witnessing to the gospel and living it out with others, caring enough about them to befriend them and, ultimately, share Christ with them (II Corinthians 5:17-20).

The “lighthouse strategy” can be explained simply in three words: pray, care and share. The strategy is a useful tool to help us fulfill our responsibility to Him. It involves praying intentionally and specifically for our neighbors (around our homes, at work, at school, wherever), caring for people (by liking them, drawing out the best in them, doing acts of caring), and sharing the gospel with people - especially our neighbors - in creative ways using every day language. We need to keep practicing the strategy as a part of our everyday lives, making it a spiritual habit.

Will you practice the lighthouse strategy and shine light into the darkness? By God’s grace and the enabling of the Holy Spirit, you will. And I will too.

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Here are a few more short testimonies about the action step we took as a church body to get out of our comfort zone. Also, check out the original post about our service day and other short testimonies.

“We passed out water and freezy pops at the Clarence Bike path. Several people took water and freezy pops and a few asked why we were doing this. It was great to smile and say, ‘we just wanted to share God’s love.’ People were kind, open, social.”

“I received a phone call at the church asking what time the services were. I said we were not having services today. Instead we were out in the community, serving and communicating God’s love. She said, ‘Oh, I want to be a part of a church like that. I will be coming next week…”

“It was a wonderful time to see the ‘body’ having joy in working together! It was a reminder that serving the Lord is a unifying and encouraging activity. The world needs to see Christians united in their work for Him.”

“Instead of walking and running by, people stopped and talked. They were surprised we were not charging for the water & granola and would ask us why we were doing it. That opened a wonderful door to explain how and why ‘our church has left the building.’ ‘That is so nice!’ they would say. The common ground - door opener - was the dogs. One man stayed and chatted at least 20 minutes.”

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” - Galatians 6:9 & 10

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One of the goals of a law school education is to teach the student how to “think like a lawyer” so that upon graduation, the newly minted law graduate can communicate effectively with judges and other attorneys concerning legal issues. What legal education does not necessarily teach, however, is how to “think like a client” so that the law graduate can communicate effectively with clients.

As a lawyer, I have learned (and keep learning) the art of thinking like a client in the classroom of the practice of law through meeting and dealing with clients from all walks of life who face myriads of circumstances which often involve issues well beyond legal issues. In order to deal effectively with a client’s particular situation, I need to understand not only the issues in general, but also the issues as the client sees them. Once I understand what is involved, I need to communicate possible solutions and courses of action in a way that the client can understand. To do so, I have to avoid technical legal language and instead speak the client’s language.

In carrying out His ministry to mankind to reveal God the Father and the way into the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus spoke in word pictures and images common to His hearers. He used stories and gave object lessons. He did not speak in theological terminology. Jesus met people where they were and in that way opened to them the entrance to His Kingdom.

As messengers for Jesus Christ and ambassadors for His Kingdom, we need to learn how to think like the non-believers around us so that we can communicate the truths of the Kingdom to them. We need to be thoughtful observers of our neighbors and the world around us, listen to their language, and understand how they look at things. We need to find points of intersection with their lives and then use those points as communication bridges. We need to learn, and then practice what we learn in communicating the gospel, not using church language and theological jargon that will not be understood.

I encourage you to become a “communication expert” in the service of the Lord Jesus (see I Corinthians 9:19-23). By so doing, you will be more effective in sharing the good news to those in your immediate world who desperately need a Savior.

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On Sunday, October 12th, the Randall church body wrapped up six weeks of Discipleship Emphasis with a day of service Randall leadership dubbed “The Church has Left the Building.” In lieu of our usual Sunday morning worship service, Randallites set out into the community to visit nursing homes, deliver snacks to workers at hospitals and firehouses, clean up our soon-to-be-adopted stretch of Main Street, and even host a free car wash in the church parking lot, among many other service projects. The following are some short testimonies about the action step we took to get out of our comfort zone.

“We went to Beechwood Nursing Home. The residents were very open to our visit and seemed to crave company. The Lord helped me to serve ‘out of my comfort zone.’ THIS IS WHAT OUR CHURCH NEEDS TO BE DOING - loving our community.”

“I was reminded of Jesus’ words, ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ So while we were planting bulbs, I was thinking not only of serving Hospice, but Christ as well.”

“My family had the joy of playing music with a neighbor - a get-together long anticipated and worth looking forward to. Our friendship with him grew, and we’re definitely going to do this again. This was step one of many … the beginning of a story.”

“I can’t say I was very prepared approaching this morning of ministry, but when we arrived at the bike path to hand out water and granola bars, I was encouraged by the runners’ openness to the FREE STUFF (they thought they had to pay). Most people asked what the “occasion” was, why the kindness? It was so unusual for them, but we got to explain what it was for and it went great. (people loved hearing about Randall!) God bless the ministry!”

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” - Galatians 6:9 & 10

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The last two Discipleship Dimension articles considered the marks and the makings of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. This month’s article will look at the maturity of a true disciple - the growth objectives the true disciple is to reach toward and attain.

The true disciple of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to grow spiritually. The objectives of that spiritual growth are threefold:

1. The true disciple of Jesus is to bear fruit for Him.
2. The true disciple of Jesus is to bring others to Him.
3. The true disciple of Jesus is to become like Him.

A true disciple is to bear fruit for Jesus. In the upper room discourse, Jesus’ last extended teaching before His death, He said to the eleven, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8). The context of Jesus’ statement was His teaching that His disciples are the branches that must remain, or abide, in the vine which is Jesus. If they do not abide, they cannot bear fruit.

The fruit Jesus’ disciples are to produce is “kingdom works,” which are everything we do for Him both in the church and in the world. Kingdom works are the light of Christ a disciple shines. They are the kind word spoken, the help lent, the bounty shared, the love extended, the spiritual gifts employed, the encouragement given, and the service rendered. In short, kingdom works are the very lives true disciples lead for the sake of the Lord, to the glory of the Father, by the power of the Spirit. The fruit a true disciple is to bear - the kingdom work that is to be done - is expected of, and is the natural byproduct of the new nature of the disciple. As Paul put it in Ephesians 2:10 in speaking of those who have been saved by God’s grace, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

A true disciple is to bring others to Jesus. Before He ascended to the Father, Jesus gave the following command to His disciples “… go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded…” (Matthew 28:19 & 20a). That command is referred to as the “Great Commission.” The key command of Jesus is “make disciples.” His disciples are to go, which means they are to engage the world around them as lighthouses, shining the way to Jesus and a relationship with Him. When a seeker accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, Jesus’ disciples are to baptize that new believer and then teach him or her. Thus, bringing others to Jesus means making disciples. And making disciples is a process which includes the initial and on-going contacts with people by which Jesus’ disciples witness to the gospel, recognize when a person has put his or her faith in Christ, and then begin and continue to teach the new believer in God’s word and its application to one’s life.

The true disciple is to be constantly engaged in the process of making disciples, and in so doing should be busy in all aspects of the process. The disciple may have just met someone in which case there is a new acquaintance, then later a friend. The disciple is to care and extend grace. Along the way, God will open the door to the sharing of faith. The point of an individual’s decision to follow Jesus may come early on, or may come only after years. Following the point of decision comes baptism, then the lifelong process of teaching. The disciples’ responsibility in making disciples is simply to keep shining forth. Individuals will come and go in the life of a disciple, and as they do, the disciple is to keep active in “bringing” them to Jesus, recognizing that sometimes there will be planting, sometimes watering, and sometimes harvesting, but that it is only God who makes things grow (See I Corinthians 3:1-9).

A true disciple is to become like Jesus. The ultimate objective of the true disciple of Jesus is to become like Him. In a word, Christ-likeness. Everything in the life of the true disciple is to focus on that one objective. In Philippians 3:7-12, Paul makes the point exactly concerning his own walk. He writes the following:

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

God has rescued His chosen ones from the dominion of darkness and brought them into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13). God accomplished this rescue through Jesus who took hold of each believer when He called each one. Each became His disciple when he or she responded to Him, and then believed in Him. And each one now belongs to Him because he or she has been redeemed at the cost of His precious blood.

Jesus is model, example, teacher and leader, as well as Savior and Lord. His disciples, are to become like Him in attitudes and actions, in character and commitment, and in wills and words. His disciples are literally to become Christlike in every way all the time so that they can live in the world like He did.

Application:
As a true disciple of Jesus, are you seeking after the “three B’s”? Do you seek to bear fruit for Him, to bring others to Him and above all, to become like Him? It is both yours and my responsibility to seek after these three objectives as we grow in grace. Let us each consider our own life as to how we are doing with regard to these objectives, commit to seek after them, and pray for God’s enabling in achieving them. God’s promise to us is that as we seek after the three B’s, He will bring about His desired result in us, namely Christ-likeness, as He works in us “to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13b).

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