Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Christian = Counselor

counselingThe concept of the priesthood of all believers is readily assented to by most Protestants. Ask the following question, “Do you believe all members of the local church are responsible for doing ministry?” You will undoubtedly see most people in your congregation bobbing their heads up and down in agreement. But when you look around the church building, you still see the usual 10% of the congregation doing 90% of the work. Why is there such a large disconnect between our words and our actions?

I think much of the disconnect lies in how we view church. I believe most of evangelical Christians view church as a house of teaching and as a house of worship. They watch the pastor preach and agree that all people should be willing to preach and teach. Yet, most members do not have a regular opportunity to preach a sermon or to teach a Sunday school class. And even fewer have the musical skills necessary to lead the praise team. Thus, our members are agreeing to do that which their church will never ask them to do.

While church most definitely consists of making much of God through worship and through preaching, it also includes discipleship. This is where the rubber meets the road. Not all are called to preach or to play the piano. But all church members are called to make disciples by regularly sharing the Word in their homes, business, and communities. This is where the democratization of the Christian life is supposed to occur. All of us should be answering phone calls, knocking on doors, and sitting in living rooms to encourage and admonish our brothers and sisters in Christ and to be encouraged and admonished by our brothers and sisters. Not all are called to be pastors, teachers, or elders. But all Christians are called to be counselors.

Yet few Christians do this. When we encounter sin, we tell our friends to talk to the pastor. When our kids have questions about salvation, we ask the pastor to disciple them. We feel completely incompetent to share the gospel with others.

To fix this problem, we must once again realize that the Scriptures are sufficient both for our salvation and for solving all our life’s problems. We must seek out the Word. We must hide it in our hearts. And we must seek out faithful men and women to help us with our walk. We must seek out discipleship for the very purpose of seeing our own faith expanded and deepened. As we grow, we will be more ready to disciple others.

At the end of the day, we do not have to be scared of counseling. The ability to change and help people has never resided in us. God alone can and does change people with his Word. Do we know it well enough to share this power with others?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Can Our Faith Be Just A Little Less Radical?

radicalSociety has never been a fan of the ‘radical’ Christian. The Romans thought radical Christians cannibals. The nice British people of the Jane Austin era deemed them ‘crazed Methodist.’And today, radical Christians are viewed as archaic, bigots.

Christians who seek to live out the Scriptures by obeying God and by practically loving their fellow man, have never been popular. The idea of denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Jesus has never truly resonated with any culture because it cost too much.

The child who skips championship games to attend church will go from starting shortstop to bench-warmer extraordinaire, risking potential scholarships and her professional sports’ future. The man who refuses to go to the strip club with his colleagues will fail to connect with his boss and may fail to gain that much coveted promotion, leaving his family strapped for cash. And the woman who refuses to watch 50 Shades Darker will be ostracized from her book club, resulting in fewer play dates for her kids. They now face the real possibility of being ‘social awkward.’ Bye bye career, fame, and fortune.

And when we begin to count the cost of following Christ, we are tempted to think, “Does Jesus really want this all this?” Will he really care if we just skip a little, see a little, and taste a little sin? Surely, Jesus doesn’t want us to be radical all the time?

The answer is yes! We must be willing to sacrifice all for God. There is no other way to reach heaven. In Mark 8:35-38, Jesus anticipates this objection and responds with the following words:

 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Essentially Jesus is affirming that the above thinking is misplaced. It wrongfully assumes that the riches and pleasures of this world are ultimate. Jesus says otherwise. He says the unseen things, the spiritual realities, and eternity matter much more than a super bowl trophy, a raise, or 1000 likes on Facebook. You can be unaccomplished and be right with God. You can be poor and be right with God. You can be unpopular and be right with God. But you cannot love sin and live for the pleasures of the flesh and be right with God.

You cannot trade Olympic gold medals for salvation. No amount of money can buy you a room in heaven. No amount of influence with man can be exchanged for righteousness with God. As Christ says, “What can a man give in return for his soul?” The answer is, “Nothing.” None of the trophies that we coveted for our kids, none of the wealth that we have amassed, and none of the popularity we have gained can cover our sin. None of those things can be traded for our soul. Only the blood of Christ saves. And only those who are willing to surrender all and make Christ the Lord of every part of their life will find eternity. There is no other way. The faith that cost us nothing will one day cost us everything.

At the end of the day, we will be ashamed either of our flesh or of Jesus. We will mourn the fact that we are tempted to sin and to do evil or will we mourn the fact that God does not sanction our pride, lust, and selfishness. And if we choose the later, if we are ashamed of the commands of Jesus, if we view radically living as being an imposition on our happiness, God will be ashamed of us. When Jesus comes in glory, he will tell us to depart. He will not be impressed with our accomplishments. He will see only worldly sinners who rejected him to collect things that moths and rust destroy.

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer rightfully said,

The elimination of single-minded obedience on principle is but another instance of the perversion of the costly grace of the call of Jesus into the cheap grace of self-justification.

Don’t follow a lesser gospel. Don’t point your kids to a shallower faith. Do not deafen your ears to the call of Christ. What earthly thing can take the place of Jesus?

Peter Witkowski Discipleship

Are You Listening To God?

listenAre you ready to listen? And I am not talking about getting your children to be quiet or about improving your relationship with your spouse. That kind of listen is good and paramount. But there is an even more important listening that needs to take place. We need to listen to Christ.

When Jesus took his disciples up onto the mountain before his death, Peter, James and John were in a stupefied awe. And rightfully so. According to Mark 9:3, they had seen the glory of Christ. The text records that Jesus’ “ clothes become radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them.” Something magnificent was going on. And that’s not all. Moses and Elijah show up with Jesus and begin talking about Jesus’ upcoming death. Talk about a wow moment. Although, the disciples did not know fully what was going on, the they knew that something amazing was occurring. As the miraculous event ended, Peter blurted out, “Rabbi it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  Seemingly, Peter always has to say something. And so, he did.

And, he begins well enough. Peter recognized that experiencing Christ more fully is a good and gracious thing. Hearing the gospel preached is a blessing. All Christians should long to know Christ more. All should long to see the glory of Christ.

Unfortunately for Peter, he does not stop there. He goes on to offer to build three tabernacles. He essentially wants to do something for God. Peter wants to help establish the kingdom of God. And while building tabernacles and memorials that point to the glory of God is perhaps well intended, Peter’s thoughts miss an important truth. Christ does not need us.

Jesus does not need our programs, our large church buildings, and our schemes to validate his ministry. Jesus is not sitting on his throne of glory thinking, “If only they would feed 1000 people or if only they would build a new facility, then my name would be great.”  Christ does not measure his greatness by our actions.

Instead of speaking, instead of trying to work to moralize the grandeur of God on earth, we are told to do something else. We are told to listen. In verse 7, we read, “And a cloud came over them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘“This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”’ We need to listen to Christ.

We buck against this idea. Because we like Peter, want to push God forward with human hands. But God does not need our soup kitchens, our buildings, or our T.V. shows to reach the world. Christ is tabernacling with us. He has sent the Holy Spirit to bear witness to his son. Christ reveals himself daily in the Scriptures. Instead of us trying to vindicate God by showing the world how successfully our programs and ideas are, we need to listen to Christ.

We need to believe that salvation comes through the cross alone. We need to listen to God. We need to admit that God is the authority on God. We need to listen to the Son. And then we need to obey. There is no other way. God requires nothing more and nothing less. Jesus is speaking. Will we listen?