The Goal: “Perfect” Disciples

Published on November 28, 2011 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry, discipleship, Faith and Gospel.

There’s a quick easy read on discipleship by John Stott, which ended up being the first title I tackled during my most recent retreat for study and prayer. Stott called attention to 8 neglected aspects of Christian discipleship. For more information on his book, The Radical Disciple, check out this link.

One of the chapters discussed maturity from the context of Colossians 1:28 and I was reminded of the significance of my own calling to disciple college students. Some scholars believe that Paul was addressing an early form of Gnostic heresy in his letter to the believers in Colossae. The problem was manifesting itself in a false dichotomy between average and elite Christians. (Get a quick overview of Gnosticism here).

I find that this particular heresy continues to be quite rampant in Christianity today. Many believe that there are varying degrees of Christian commitment which are acceptable to God and He doesn’t actually require holiness or “perfection” from everyone. But Paul sends a kill shot right into the heart of this heresy when he reminds the Colossian Christians what he is all about:

“Him we proclaim, warning EVERYONE and teaching EVERYONE with ALL wisdom, that we may present EVERYONE mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”   Colossians 1:28-29 (ESV)

The Greek word for maturity or perfection is teleios and shows up 19 times in the New Testament. Whenever it is used, there’s a comparative not an absolute sense of the word which is in play. A mature/perfect disciple is NOT absolutely mature/perfect without any further room for growth but mature/perfect in comparison to a newborn…or a spiritual infant. So the implication is that Christian maturity is an expectation of a disciple (“radical” as Stott points out in the root sense of the word).

In the context of campus ministry, this goal or calling can be quite challenging because of the complexities, transitions, competitive demands which characterize the average college student or young adult. However, that could be said of high school students and senior citizens just depending on the day. The deeper challenge is helping a student have a grander vision for their own spiritual journey than occasional church attendance or participating in a weekly fellowship/bible study. Following Christ demands a singular focus and commitment which leaves many Christians occasionally saying “Lord, Lord…” but mostly living for “Me, Me…” (Matthew 25:44)

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Lessons From A Night of Sushi

Published on November 18, 2011 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry and Faith.

During our Journey 2:8 bible study/fellowship on Thursday nights we’ve been discussing simplicity as spiritual discipline and topic for discipleship.

Occasionally, we like to incorporate some great food with our conversations together and the idea of “make your own sushi” occurred to me as a simple kind of food to launch us into this study of simplicity.

So we had a great time rolling up sticky rice in sheets of nori (seaweed) with slices of cucumber, raw fish, & wasabi. One of the first lessons for me, however, was making a distinction between simple and easy. Sure, sushi is a pretty simple food as a concept, but preparing and rolling the ingredients (not to mention FINDING all the right ingredients) proved to be quite challenging.

As we studied Matthew 6 that first week and chewed on the implications of trusting God with our basic needs and “seeking first” the Kingdom, we learned a similar lesson. Following Christ can be a simple concept but quite a challenging proposition in terms of daily practice.

On the second week of this study, we learned a few more lessons from Luke 18:18-25 (the rich young ruler) and Luke 10:38-42 (the story of Mary & Martha).

  • The rich young ruler had grown so attached to material things, that the simplicity of Jesus’ call became too sacrificial
  • The “one thing” which was lacking became the “everything” that was missing
  • For Martha, distractions and obligations became the “main thing” instead of prioritizing the “one thing” which was all important.
  • There’s often a big difference between “serving” Jesus and actually sitting at the feet of Jesus

The complexity and chaos of our lives truly demands a counter-cultural pursuit of simplicity. That has implications for the way we spend our time, our money, and our lives.

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My #1 Challenge

Published on October 3, 2011 by Chris Bean in Calling, Campus Ministry and Finances.

The question is often posed to me, “What are the biggest challenges of being a campus minister?”

And I often skip over my #1 challenge because I think people are looking more for answers like:

  • the pluralistic environment of campus ministry
  • the transient nature of young adults
  • the high degree of authenticity which college students require
  • etc, etc

But my #1 challenge is certainly financial sustainability. Obviously, not all campus ministers have to deal with this particular issue. Those in church-based college ministry often receive a consistent paycheck and have a budget for programming etc. That is not to say that all of my campus ministry peers who receive a salary from the organization are totally exempt from this pressure. Some may not be raising support for their individual salary, but they are expected to find new streams of fiscal resources to sustain ministry to the college and university campuses they engage.

Although I have posted previously about the benefits of this model of campus ministry (especially the partnering model which the CCO uses), I would be lying if I said the constant stress of being under-funded isn’t my #1 challenge. And after two years of working pretty hard towards becoming fully-funded…we have yet to close the gap. The financial anxiety of raising support is the ONLY thing that could keep me from enjoying this calling for the next 20 years!

However, in the midst of this challenge…we celebrate God’s faithfulness! The fact that God has provided for us during the last two years in such a way that we were able to buy a home this past summer is bordering miraculous. We continue to trust, that in God’s timing, we will reach our goal of being 100% funded. Often, when we least expect it…God brings someone across our path who wants to give $100, $50, or $30/month towards our ministry of transforming college students in Cincinnati. When that happens, God’s ability to provide never ceases to blow us away.

If you’d like to be one of those who partner with us to put that piece of the ministry in place, click on the $upport link above.   ;-)

 

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