In the last two blogs we talked about how a disciple is a friend of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. Along the way we have pointed out that to “be the church,” we must love God, love people, and make disciples.
But where do we get the leverage we need to actually do this? Loving God, loving people, and making disciples is a huge undertaking! Fortunately Jesus makes it a lot simpler than you might have found in your past religious activities.
Let’s take a deeper look at what Christ-Centered Leverage is all about…
Bill’s 30 Day Say No/Yes List
In response to our blog last time we looked at Luke 9:23 and challenged one another to deny ourselves something so we could say yes to something more important. I (Bill Burrows) said “no” to sports, refined sugar, limited TV for 30 days.
I said “yes” to reading Psalms, vegetables, and good conversations.
How did it go? By the grace of God and through his power I abstained from sports, sugar and effectively limited my TV watching. I ate healthier, lost ten pounds, and had more connecting conversations with family and friends. As I fed on Jesus, the Bread of Life, my hunger for those distractions and enticements dwindled. Overall, I see it as a huge win! Even though I didn’t read Psalms as much as I’d hoped, I made progress.
How did I do it? Christ-Centered Leverage.
How Leverage Works
What is leverage? It is the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it.
Archimedes, a famous mathematician in ancient Greece, said,
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”
There is a slide in our presentation that shows a lever (the orange plank), a load (165 lbs), a fulcrum, and applied force. If all elements are strong enough and enough force is applied, the load will be lifted.
As you move the fulcrum away from the load, the amount of force needed to lift the 165 lbs grows tremendously. The closer the fulcrum is to the load the amount of force needed shrinks.
How can this engineering concept help us follow Jesus?
Christ-centered leverage begins with a strong lever. Let's say the lever represents God's power in and through our lives.
Jesus wants us to be the church. The load pictures the big commands that we’re called to obey.
OUr “Load”—Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples
The force illustrates our effort to wholeheartedly cooperate with God. We allow him free reign to work in and through us. God's grace has never been opposed to effort.
The fulcrum has to be strong enough and as close to the load as possible to make the amount of force needed doable and sustainable long term.
How do we do that?
The answer has been to engage in religious activities summed up in the phrase “go to church.”
The Limitations of Religious Activities
What are some religious activities we do to get leverage in loving God, loving people, and making disciples? Here’s a few:
Attend a Church service & Sunday School
Read the Bible & Pray
Use/Develop Spiritual Gifts
Volunteer/Serve
Give at Least 10%
Join a Small Group
Go to a Conference
For years I engaged in these activities and I always wondered why my love for God and people was anemic and why very few disciples were being made. Where was the joy and power of God in my life?
I guess I needed to work harder and put more effort into these activities. For most of us the thought of doing more is overwhelming.
Something isn’t right with this picture. Some might say it's not about the effort, it's about grace. But Jesus said,
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because I tell you, many will try to enter and won’t be able…” Luke 13:24
Paul said,
“Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12
Peter said,
“...We wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found without spot or blemish in his sight, at peace.” 2 Peter 3:13-14
Well according to Jesus, Paul, and Peter we are to make every effort to be the church. If effort is not the problem, could it be a religious activity problem?
Is there a difference between “going to church” and “being the church?”
The list of “shoulds” seems to multiply and frankly gives me justification to pick 1 or 2 doable religious activities and call it good.
We shut down and close our hearts to escape the pull to be and do more. But Jesus said something else...
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
I find no rest for my soul in this picture. I wish there was an easy button to push and everything would fall into place. Oh wait, here's a button; let's try it!
Notice the fulcrum of religious activity has become the fulcrum of building Christian relationships.
Building Christian Relationships
Christianity is all about relationships.
Now, the fulcrum has also moved very close to the load of loving God, loving people, and making disciples. We get to make friends. The effort needed is simplified and focused. Could this be the yoke Jesus talked about?
Three Conversations For Christ-Centered Leverage
Building Christian relationships involves having conversations.
1. Conversations with Jesus. The most important conversation is with Jesus, because he is the Bread of Life. If anyone comes to him, they will never be hungry and if anyone believes in him, they will never be thirsty. He is the source and sustenance of life.
2. Conversations with another Disciple. Having soul-connecting talks with other disciples develops our ability to love people.
3. Conversations with a “Not Yet” Disciple. Making new disciples is impossible without connecting to non-disciples.
So, are our religious activities distracting and/or hindering us from engaging in these 3 essential conversations to being the church?
Jesus, open the eyes of our souls to see and comprehend the truth about our religious activities and empower us to engage wholeheartedly in those that give us the most leverage for your kingdom.
Up Next: The Disciples Relational Triangle
Next time we will give an overview of these essential connections with what the fulcrum of building Christian relationships entails.
Would you like to share this with your friends? Here’s the slideshow for today’s blog so you can talk about it with them!
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