Saturday, October 30, 2010

Psalms of Discipleship--Principle # 43--October 30, 2010--Grace

Hello my dear friends.....a warm, heart-felt greeting to each one of you. Allow me to pose these probing questions to you: how hard do you have to work at becoming spiritual enough? how much is enough until you think the Lord is pleased with you? when is it okay to get off of the spinning wheel and rest?

These are all good questions for any follower of Jesus to ask....and then discover the answers that will set us free from a performance-based Christianity.

May we all experience the provision of His green pastures and His quiet waters.

Denny

PS. Thanks to all of you who have purchased your copy of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace. The first printing run is almost sold out. Order your copy now of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace for only $15.99 (a $4 savings!). If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace. For more information, follow this link to my website,

http://bit.ly/c83ofY

Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #43

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. Psalm 23:2

Core Value: Grace

One of the negative tenets of our western culture is the mistaken belief that we must work harder than God in taking care of our spiritual needs. We think if we pray more, study more, fast more, share more, and serve more, we will become more “spiritual.” Well, the Pharisees did that too and we know where that got them. Yes, there is a place for the believer to work on spiritual disciplines; but they are only the means to an end. The end goal for the disciple of Jesus is to have a closer relationship with Him and this goal is only fulfilled when we take the pathway of grace.

In his book, Follow me: experience the loving leadership of Jesus, Jan David Hettinga writes:

“Grace, the supernatural forgiving love and transforming power of God, is released through the deliberate act of giving up the kingdom of self. Giving up is not a ‘work.’ It is a cessation of resistance. It is the losing wrestler surrendering to the winner. God repeatedly makes it clear that He resists the proud (those who are full of their own egoism) but gladly gives grace to the humble (Psalm 18:27, James 4:6-10, 1 Peter 5:5-6). The faucet that turns on the pipeline of saving grace is the voluntary choice of humility. This is the heart of repentance. The event of salvation then immediately becomes the process of humble obedience. And enabling grace keeps on flowing.” Pg. 141-142

“Submission is an event, and then a lifetime process. Once we start kingdom living, we must keep submitting our wills to our King. That’s what repentance means—turning from our way to God’s way, as a lifestyle. When we stop repenting we start regressing. The reason this happens seems elusive but it isn’t. When we stop humbling ourselves, we shut off the free flow of the supernatural ability that God calls grace.” Pg. 182

The Shepherd wants us to lie down our will and submit to His. The Lord seeks to lead us away from chaos and turmoil into a place of inner rest. May God give us the heart to accept His grace as we rest in His abundant provision and restful peace.

Principle #43 & Personal Application: The quality disciple of Jesus Christ experiences the blessing of abundant provision and restful peace when one submits one’s will to God.

• Grace allows the disciple to experience God’s best

• Grace moves the human heart to stop fighting for “my way” and to lie down into His green pastures of rich and abundant provision

• Grace moves the human heart to stop fighting for “my way” and to allow Him to lead me beside His quiet waters of peace and security

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

When I have to choose between my way and God’s way, what is the “tipping point” (the reason for my decision) for me when I choose between one and the other?

When is the last time I’ve experienced the Lord’s green pastures and quiet waters?

What practical things do I need to do in order to make green pastures and quiet waters a normal part of my Christian life?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I so want your way and not mine. Pour out Your grace upon me and help me to lie down in Your green pastures of blessing. Pour out Your grace upon me and lead me beside those still, peaceful waters where I feel safe and secure in Your love.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism


Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Psalms of Discipleship--Principle # 42--October 23, 2010--Grace

Who is taking care of you?

Hello my dear friends! This is an important question for each one of us to consider. Often, because of the circumstances of life, we find ourselves taking care of a lot of people. We are taking care of our kids, taking care of our friends, taking care of our customers, taking care of people who often drain us of our emotional, spiritual, and physical energy. At the end of the day, we are spent.

Again, the question: who is taking care of you?

In this week's Psalms of Discipleship, David helps us focus upon the One who desires to take care of us in a way no one else can do. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm not only knows what we need, but is the only One who can provide it.

May we all come to have a fresh experience of His care,

Denny

PS. Free shipping and handling for a limited time (October 14-October 31). Order your copy now of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace for only $15.99 (a $4 savings!). If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace. For more information, follow this link to my website,

http://bit.ly/c83ofY

Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #42

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 [NASB95] or “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need.” [The Living Bible]

Core Value: Grace

Do we really know what it means to have God, the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, take care of us? The prevailing view in our culture demands that each one of us be independent, self-providing, self-protecting. . . . self, self, self. How well has that strategy done for you? After the Fall in the Garden, there became a seismic paradigm shift on the role mankind began to assume. Instead of God serving as the catalyst for life, we reversed the roles. In their classic book on spiritual growth, “How People Grow,” Cloud and Townsend offer this insight:

Here are the roles as God created them [the first statement refers to "God" and the second statement refers to "Mankind"]: Pg. 35

God is the Source/We depend on God

God is the Creator/We are the creation and cannot exist unto ourselves

God has control of the world/We have control of ourselves

God was the judge of life/ We are to experience life

God designed life and its rules/We obey the rules and live the life God designed

Here is a snapshot of how the roles changed after the Fall [the first statement is "The Desire" and the second statement is "The Result"]: Pg. 36

We are the Source/We depend on ourselves

We are the Creator/We exist unto ourselves

We have control of the world/We try to control our world and each other, losing control of ourselves

We become the judge of life/We judge ourselves and each other and cease to be able to experience ourselves and each other

We design life and the rules/We live any way we want to


May each one of us long for the care of the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm.

Principle #42 & Personal Application: The quality disciple lacks for nothing because the Lord has provided everything that is needed.

• It is grace that allows me to know that the Lord is my shepherd.

• It is grace that allows me to know that the Lord provides all of my needs.

• It is grace that allows me to know that worry and anxiety have no place in my heart because “the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!” Psalms 23:1 (TLB)

Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Isaiah 40:11 (NASB95)

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus. Since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how he changed my life completely, He did something that no other friend could do.

CHORUS: No one ever cared for me like Jesus, There’s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me, O’, how much He cared for me. (Written by Charles Weigle)

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

What does it really mean for me to have Jesus, the Great Shepherd, care for me?

What types of things do I let Him care of for me and what kinds of things do I not allow Him to take care of for me?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, far too many times I seek to be my own shepherd. Today, I want You to be my Shepherd. Please, O Lord, take care of me.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism


Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Psalms of Discipleship--Principle # 41--October 17, 2010--Evangelism

Hello dear friends! I trust that all of you have experienced a refreshing weekend. This weekend my wife, Trish, and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. What a blessing she has been to me over the years as we seek to follow more closely the Shepherd of the Psalms.

This week we are going to take a look at Psalm 22:27 and the benefit of becoming attractional to those who are still looking for the Lord of the Harvest. May we all gain a fresh understanding of how the gospel, at work in our lives, can make all the difference in the world, literally.

May His love be seen in us,

Denny

PS. Free shipping and handling for a limited time (October 14-October 31). Order your copy now of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace for only $15.99 (a $4 savings!). If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace, my newest book is now available for purchase. For more information, follow this link to my website,

http://bit.ly/c83ofY

Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #41

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. Psalm 22:27

Core Value: Evangelism

As a believer, is your life “attractional?” In other words, does your life attract the people who have yet to experience the saving power of the gospel? As disciples of Jesus, we must seek to think like Him, to act like Him, to love like Him. In her foundational book on evangelism, Rebecca Pippert offers this clear and convincing challenge to those who desire to follow Jesus:

“If we are to be followers of Jesus, his values must permeate our values. We need to be concerned more with how our lives reflect his love, his holiness, his obedience, than with the latest witnessing techniques. When we live as Jesus did, in his power and with his presence, seekers will be drawn to us. Evangelism will not be a dreaded task to be ticked off every Wednesday. Rather, sharing Jesus will become a true delight and evangelism will become a lifestyle.” (Pg. 102) Pippert, Rebecca Manley. 1979. Out of the salt shaker and into the world. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Has evangelism become a “religious duty (a dreaded task)” or has it become a lifestyle for you? May our own love for the Lord of the Harvest give us the kind of lifestyle that will attract others to love and follow Him.

Principle #41 & Personal Application: The quality disciple has a heart for the Lord of the Harvest.

• The Lord of the Harvest will have an impact upon the whole world as people will remember Him and turn to Him.

• The Lord of the Harvest will be the sole recipient of worship from all of the families of nations.

• The Lord of the Harvest seeks out laborers who will join Him for the great harvest of souls who need Jesus Christ.

36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said* to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 "Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matthew 9:36-38 (NASB95)

"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. John 4:35 (NASB95)

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

Who is in my immediate circle of family and friends who are lost without Christ?

What kinds of practical things can I begin to do that will allow me to share the Gospel in a way that will be clear and convincing to my lost family and friends?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the Lord of the Harvest. You have already told me that the fields are white unto harvest and that the laborers are few. Please Lord, add me to Your team of laborers and thrust me into Your harvest. May many souls come to know You because of the power of Your Gospel that is at work within me.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism


Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Psalms of Discipleship--Principle # 40--October 9, 2010--Worship

Are you prone to worship the Lord before, during, or after the crisis? Or does it depend upon how you are "feeling?"

Hello dear friends. I hope you are doing well today. We all go through challenging times. Some trials seem to be more difficult than others. And yet, whatever we go through, there is one consistent thing that is true: we are called to worship the Lord. This week the psalmist gives us a fresh perspective of our need to have a heart of worship. May we all discover the joy of worshiping the Shepherd of the Psalms.

Asking for a heart of worship,

Denny


Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #40

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; We will sing and praise Your power. Psalm 21:13

Core Value: Worship

Many of us who seek to follow Jesus Christ frequently experience the negative results of a hurried pace of life and fail to experience the intimacy of knowing Him. Our religious habits have trained us to know all of the right answers but we often lack the discipline (or faith) to apply what we know to be true. We all need to take a deep, cleansing breath and learn the art of being still before the Lord. Worship is the healing balm to a life that is overstretched and overwhelmed by the cares of this world.

When our world is rocked by chaos, crisis, and change, what are we to do? Do we go into panic mode and forget our great God or do we apply His grace as we worship the Lord and place our trust in Him?

Pastor and writer Mark Batterson shared this nugget of truth at the Catalyst Leadership Conference: “It is hard to be still . . . and just stand there and trust the Lord.”

The psalmist said it this way:
"Cease striving [or be still] and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 (NASB95)

Grace allows us to be still, to cease striving and worship Him.

Principle #40 & Personal Application: The quality disciple has a heart to worship the One who is exalted and worthy of praise.

What does it mean to have a heart of worship?

• A heart of worship is set upon an exalted God

• A heart of worship is set upon a God who is strong

• A heart of worship is set upon a God who evokes singing and praise to the One who has all power

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

When I set my heart upon the Lord, what kinds of emotions usually fill my mind?

What kinds of spiritual disciplines (for example: prayer, Bible study, fasting, journaling, solitude, etc.) help me to focus upon the Lord and worship Him?

What does it mean for me to exalt the Lord in His strength while I sing and praise His power?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, often I am weak and failing. I need Your mercy and grace in abundance. Worship of You is my catalyst to spiritual growth. May my worship of You be empowered by Your strength and power. In faith, I will sing and praise Your power.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism


Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.

I spent the week blogging from Atlanta and reporting on what I experienced with the leadership sights and sounds of CATALYST2010. If you are interested in learning what today's leaders are saying, I'd like to invite you visit my other blog, Quality Leadership Consultants, and learn with me from leaders who are leading other leaders.
Click on this link

http://bit.ly/aRUFW7

PS. Thanks to all of you who have ordered your copy of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace. If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace, my newest book is now available for purchase. For more information, follow this link to the Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace facebook page.

http://bit.ly/9j2Nsp

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Psalms of Discipleship--Principle # 39--October 2, 2010--Community & Prayer

Hello my dear friends! I pray that all is well with you today and that you are experiencing the joy of walking with the Shepherd of the Psalms. This week we are going to examine two of the core values of the discipled life: community and prayer. They are a great combination, as we will soon discover.

My prayer for us this week is that the Lord will show us, in a fresh way, the value of belonging to a group of people (community) that seeks to talk to the Lord (prayer) on a consistent basis.

May the Lord answer us in the day we call,

Denny

PS. Thanks to all of you who have ordered your copy of Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace. If you would like to have a devotional book that also serves as a spiritual life journal as well as a unique 21 point Bible study and personal assessment on grace, my newest book is now available for purchase. For more information, follow this link to the Psalms of Discipleship: Growing in Grace facebook page.

http://bit.ly/9j2Nsp


Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #39

Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life

Key Scripture: Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call. Psalm 20:9

Core Value: Community & Prayer

When is the last time you attended a prayer meeting where you sensed a special visitation from the Lord? You came to this meeting with a full heart—with an almost desperate expectation— that, unless God intervened, the burden would continue to crush your soul. And then, during the course of the meeting, joy invaded your heart and peace flooded your soul. God had met with you and your group. In biblical community, there is a comfort provided where you can draw upon others for strength. Together, the group can call out to the Lord and appeal to Him for His help. Yes, there are certain times when we need solitude and must enter the prayer closet alone. But there are also times when we are called to pray and do life together with other believers. We all need to belong to a community.

Bill Hull does a good job of explaining the benefit for community when he writes,

“Character is shaped in community.” Pg. 96

“I have come to believe that the primary and exclusive work of the church is spiritual transformation. That is about a change in which our character is being transformed into the image of Christ. And that character is formed in community, not in isolation. It is formed in the friction of living with others in covenant and then being tested in isolation. We lead out of our character even more than our skills.” Pg. 129

“As the African proverb tells us, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Pg. 107 Bill Hull, Choose the Life

So, are you going fast . . . alone? Or have you decided to become a part of community and go far together?

Principle #39 & Personal Application: The quality disciple longs to experience the power of corporate prayer.

• There is supernatural power when a group of believers cry out for His great salvation

• There is supernatural power when a group of believers fully expect the King to answer us in the day we call

• There is supernatural power when a group of believers meet to pray together

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NASB95)

19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:19-20 (NASB95)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5:16 (NASB95)

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31 (NASB95)

Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…

When I pray with others, what is my expectation?

When I pray with others, has my experience been typically fulfilling or empty?

Who would I consider to be my “prayer partners”?

When is the last time I prayed with my prayer partners?

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me be faithful in prayer; especially with other believers.

The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism


Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.