Our hope is to connect the various college students and young adults in our Nazarene network of churches here into a community. As we connect and build relationships we also want to challenge, equip, and send these students into the world to make a Kingdom-sized impact on their world.

Element…

It’s about the basic elements of faith. In ancient times there were thought to be four basic elements which constituted the physical universe. We sometimes refer to someone or thing as being in their element. Perhaps you think of a heating element which connects and conduces heat or electricity. All of these ideas could contribute to or illustrate the purposes we have in mind.

JR Forasteros shared some insights from Matthew 25 which I found to be quite helpful. Recall the parable of the talents in which three servants were given a sum of money by their master. After some time the master returned (key point) and found two of the servants as faithful and productive. The third servant (out of fear, or laziness, or some other inhibition) buried his potential in the ground.

JR made the connect between this idea and the fact that most young adults are desperate to know what God’s will is for their lives. In fact, regardless of age and phase of life, we often want to ask the wrong questions. Our questions usually focus on specific felt needs or future developments in our life. God wants us to ask the kinds of questions which would lead to our transformation in the present. What are we doing with what God has entrusted to us right now?

As my mind was wandering a bit (not unusual) I began to think about how easily we bury ourSELVES in the ground. Often, we have a tendency in the church to bury ourselves in the world of church, programs, “ministry”, serving (the church/ourselves) and fail to see how God would have us invest our lives into others…especially those who are far from Christ. Instead of burying the master’s resources in a mayonaise jar in the ground…pour yourself out…and into the lives of those around you.

As I read the passage a third or fourth time, an interesting distinction jumped out at me from verse 25: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus…”

Notice that Luke did NOT say that large crowds were following Jesus…just traveling with him. They were near Jesus, but not necessarily engaged.

Within the context of evangelical Christianity (perhaps I could just say Christianity in general, but I’ll limit my observations to what I’m experientially familiar with) discipleship is seen as optional. Obviously, not many pastors or Christians would actually say that this is the case, but the ways in which we understand the Gospel, ‘share’ the gospel, and “do” church betray our core beliefs. Whether it’s because we think praying the prayer is enough or because we fear losing the crowds, we rarely challenge believers to a self-sacrificial Gospel-shaped understanding and pursuit of discipleship.

Do we distinguish, as Jesus did,  between “traveling with” and following?

Do we settle for the criteria of the crowd?

In so doing, we create an environment in which discipleship is optional. We expect discipleship to happen simply as the result of proximity to Jesus (and other believers aka attending church).

In my own ministry with students at the University of Cincinnati, I am determined to pursue models of biblical discipleship which will result in a steady stream (over the years) of  transformed followers of Jesus. More than likely, this is not going to look like a mass gathering of students except on the rarest of occasions. My hope is that it will look like a full week of one-on-one or one-on-two conversations, meals, front-porch encounters, etc. It will look like a few students enjoying a weekend of backpacking in the Red River Gorge, or kayaking down the Little Miami River, or playing disc golf.

Of course, the first step for me or anyone else committed to discipling is to BE a disciple. Discipling and the transformation of students will happen in the wake of my own discipleship journey and transformation.

But alas…the lengthy drive that I have to and from campus is giving me the opportunity to remedy this situation.

The typical line up of podcast preachers, prophets, and personalities I attempt to track with weekly (or monthly) would include:

Greg Boyd, Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN
Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, WA
Rick McKinley, Imago Dei in Portland, OR
Erwin McManus, Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, CA
Rob Bell, Mars Hill Church near Grand Rapids, MI
Francis Chan, Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA
The Village Church (Highland Village, TX…I’m experimenting with this one)
The Passion Podcast (Louie Giglio in Alpharetta, GA)
etc, etc

As you can see, it’s certainly more than I really have time to listen to or absorb…but I find these to be interesting, inspiring, challenging, frustrating, or some combination of these and more emotions.

Perhaps the personality above who I most struggle with and enjoy disagreeing with is Mark Driscoll. Although I often find Driscoll to be a provocative and effective communicator of Biblical truth and Kingdom principles, there are certainly times when I take issue with his teaching. For instance, in a recent podcast as he introducing a new series through which he’ll be leading his church for the next three years or so, he gives the impression that the gospels (and the Scriptures in general) can be read as biographical and historical works which are verifiable. The implication is made that Christianity can be proven with archaelogical evidence and by cross-referencing historical accounts which corroborate scripture. My response to this basic approach is one of caution. The scriptures, the life of Jesus, the life faith, and spiritual truths in general will not be empirically verifiable. To give anyone this impression is probably setting them up for a great disappointment. Although many people, places, and accounts in the Biblical narrative can be substantiated by digging up a few critical artifacts and serious research, there will ultimately always be a crisis of faith which is required to fully engage oneself in a covenant relationship with God through the cross of Christ.

Now I will admit that one of the things attracting me to Dricoll’s teaching is that he represents what some would call a “New Calvinism” and an attempt to re-frame Reformed theology for the modern (or actually post-modern) person. Coming from a theological background of Wesleyan-Arminian persuasion, I am enjoying this and other efforts to wrestle with and understand Reformed theology and the teaching of Calvin. In the context of a holiness denomination like the Church of the Nazarene I also find it very enlightening to hear various perspectives on sanctification, holy living, and the role of the Holy Spirit within the life of the believer. I believe that there’s actually much more common ground than contested when we take time to respectfully study the perspectives of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Yet Christians seem to focus so much more on the contested issues rather than the commonalities.

Image: The Calling of St. Matthew by Nicolaes Berchem

Over the past few years I have wrestled quite a bit with the notion of ‘calling’ and vocation. I believe it is fairly easy to develop some confusing and unhealthy ideas about this concept.

As I anticipate many great conversations on this topic with college students in the near future, I was glad to come across this great article by Marc Baer on the Intervarsity website.

He shares some things that remind me of reading Os Guiness’ The Call a couple of years ago. Reading that book was quite helpful for me as I needed to re-orient myself around my primary calling in Christ and then allow vocation and work to flow from there.

I believe one of the most pressing needs in campus ministry and discipling college students is to help them discover the rich possibilities around a proper understanding of calling, vocation, faithfulness, and identity in the Kingdom of God.