Disciple and discipline: Interesting how much they have in common

You will know the name Jimmy Doolittle.

He flew those bi-planes in World War I for the United States, and then barn-stormed throughout the 1920’s, giving thrills by taking risks you would not believe. He led the retaliatory bombing of Tokyo in early 1942, a few months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. He played a major role in the Allied victory over the Axis, eventually becoming a General. His autobiography is titled I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.

Doolittle and his wife Joe (that’s how she spelled it) had two sons, Jim and John, both of whom served in the Second World War.

The general wrote about the younger son:

John was in his plebe year at West Point and the upperclassmen were harassing him no end…. While the value of demeaning first-year cadets is debatable, I was sure “Peanut” could survive whatever they dreamed up.

Later, General Doolittle analyzes his own strengths and weaknesses and makes a fascinating observation:

(I) have finally come to realize what a good thing the plebe year at West Point is. The principle is that a man must learn to accept discipline before he can dish it out. I have never been properly disciplined. Would have gotten along better with my superiors if I had. s

“I have never been properly disciplined.” What an admission. It takes a mature person to say that.

From what I read, Doolittle was not exaggerating. He was a man with a thousand strengths, but his few weaknesses kept creeping up and blindsiding him. Numerous times, even after he became a national hero, the officers in charge of his current assignment would ground him because of crazy stunts like buzzing airfields upside down and flying under bridges and endangering his passengers.

Prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944), the actual place and time were the biggest secrets on the planet. Everyone was sworn to silence. Doolittle tells of a general who shot his mouth off in a bar, talking freely about the invasion, speculating on when and where, even though he personally had not been briefed.

Eisenhower had no patience with such foolishness.

The next day, that general was on a plane back to the States and had been demoted to a colonel.

He learned self-discipline the hard way.

What lack of discipline looks like.

Doolittle observed that had he ever been properly disciplined, he would have related to his superiors better.

That’s one way you can tell the lack of discipline–how one relates to authority.

Those who teach these things say that in checking out prospective ministers for your church staff, you will want to look into the relationship of that individual with his father. If he is improperly related to his father, look for trouble with you his supervisor.

Lack of discipline shows up in so many ways:

—In sloppy workmanship.

–In a rebellious, rule-breaking attitude.

–In an immature resentment of authority.

In being unable to say ‘no’ to oneself.

The story of High Priest Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas from I Samuel 2 illustrates the kind of lawless behavior caused by a lack of discipline.

Now, Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel (referring to their sinful behavior as priests in the Tabernacle). …. And he said to them, ‘Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? No, my sons, for the report is not good that I hear the Lord’s people circulating. If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?’ But they would not listen to the voice of their father (and God decided they deserved the death penalty).

We read that and think, “Eli, you are the high priest! These sons are accountable to you. You can fire them, demote them, and send them home. Instead, all you can say is ‘what I hear is not good’ and ‘God will judge you’? Is that it?”

The sons paid dearly for the father’s failure to discipline them from an early age.

Whose job is it to teach discipline?

Answer: The parents, teachers, coaches, scoutmasters, choir leaders, pastors, grandparents, and bosses.

Those to whom we looked for guidance growing up did us a great injustice if they did not hold us accountable for our work and at least make an honest effort to teach us self-discipline.

In the absence of being taught discipline in childhood, we are obligated to become our own teacher, to put ourselves through the paces, to learn to say ‘no’ when tempted to take the easy way out, and to say ‘yes, you will stay and do your job’ when to quit and go home looks so attractive.

It’s not called “self-discipline” without reason.

The Bible puts a high prize on this kind of discipline.

So many Proverbs come to mind here….

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. (Pr. 13:1)

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who roles his spirit, than he who captures a city. (Pr. 16:32) The hardest person to conquer is often ourselves.

Understanding is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the discipline of fools is folly. (Pr. 16:22) Some people cannot be disciplined.

Shreveport pastor Perry Lassiter pointed out that “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) makes the same point. The Greek praus (meek, gentle) refers to those who are so strong they control themselves. The word is the opposite of uncontrolled, self-indulgent, or self-assertive. Jesus called Himself meek in Matthew 11:29, and Scripture calls Moses the meekest man on the earth (Numbers 12:3).

Perry said the word praus referred to tame animals. They were mighty in strength, but were able to do wonderful feats because that strength was controlled and focused.

Paul told young Timothy, With gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth (II Timothy 2:25).

The fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22-23, involves nine Christlike qualities,  the eighth being “self-control.” The believer who cannot control his impulses still has miles to go before attaining maturity and effectiveness in the Kingdom.

The most perfect picture of the strength-under-control which is the ultimate self-discipline is our Lord on the cross. Peter said, While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously (I Peter 2:23).

So, what does discipline look like?

–Discipline looks like Jesus on the cross. For the joy set before Him, (He) endured the cross, despising the shame…. Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:2-3). Discipline stays with the hard job because the payoff is worth it.

–Discipline looks like Jesus when arrested. Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place…. Do you think I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:51-53) Discipline does not retaliate, but keeps its focus and its cool.

–Discipline looks like Jesus on trial. Like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7). On trial, K(ing Herod) questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing (Luke 23:9). Discipline control its tongue. (See James 3)

Pity the church with an undisciplined pastor.

The undisciplined pastor will get some things right, but not consistently. He will often produce great sermons for which he did the requisite study and preparation, but he will also be lazy for long periods and rerun old sermons.

The congregation with such a pastor will never know whether to count on the pastor or not. His word, given quickly, cannot be depended on. He will initiate programs but not follow through, make commitments which he does not keep, and have good intentions which come to little.

The undisciplined pastor will set goals and forget them, begin disciplines for self-improvement and church health and grow tired of them, and become a poster child for overeating, under-exercising, and chronic excuse-making.

The well-disciplined pastor is a winner.

He reminds us of the praiseworthy woman of Proverbs 31. She sees a field and buys it. She plants a vineyard. Her lamp does not go out by night. She is not afraid of cold weather for she has prepared warm clothing for the family. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

The disciplined spiritual leader is able to lead the people of God because he has conquered himself.

He does not retaliate when accused, but stays the course. He is able to love the attackers.

He does not carry grudges or harbor resentments when offended or mistreated. He is able to forgive and go forward.

He uses his time wisely, takes care of his health, and leaves no part of his ministry unattended.

In fact, the more I think about it, my pastor friend Dr. Mike Miller is the epitome of the disciplined man of the Lord. Mike worked as a jet pilot in industry before coming to Christ, and was thus forced to learn early on the value of self-discipline and the dangers of its lack.  Mike owns two doctorates and is a great student of the Word.  He is well acquainted with current theological trends, and keeps up with important books in his field. When he stands to preach, the congregation never doubts that it will receive a well-studied and thoroughly thought-through message.

As one who has wasted more than a little time over my life, I look with great appreciation at the great way this pastor–any pastor!–invests his life.

Maybe pastors need a plebe year.

Let’s say it’s the first year of seminary. The upper classmen (and upperclasswomen) yell at them, harass them, and act like self-righteous church-members who demand their rights. They call them all hours of the night, asking them to get out of bed and meet a family in the ICU at the hospital. They catch the seminary student just before worship and criticize him, threaten him with the loss of his job unless certain adjustments are made, and see that his mind is on anything but worship.

Is that how normal life is for the pastor?

Well, to be fair, it’s not all that way. Often a pastor can go, oh, a full month without a church member making unfair demands or a deacon threatening him with unemployment.

In the short run, it’s painful. In the long run, it’s what we signed on for.

When our Lord was sending out the disciples, He cautioned them on the mistreatment they could expect. Then He added, A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! (Matthew 10:24-25)

We go into the ministry expecting this, and sooner or later, we get it. What we do not expect, what comes as a surprise, is the source of the mistreatment: from within the family.

Godly pastors with proven track records often contact me to say their deacons are pressuring them to obey their list of requirements or to leave. The pastor who takes a strong stand for the Lord often ends up paying a price.

To the pastors and other ministers who are laboring on faithfully under such ungodly bombardment, I have a word for you from God’s Word: God is not unjust so as to forget your work, and the love that you have shown toward His name, in having ministered to the saints and in still ministering. (Hebrews 6:10)

Be faithful, brethren.

What “joy in the Lord” looks like

Now, this is not about the “gifts” of the Spirit.  Neither is it about the “fruit” of the Spirit.

However, we could say it’s about “the evidence” of the Spirit, how one can know the living God actually indwells believers.

We can sit here all day and talk about gifts of the Spirit such as healings and prophecies and tongues, and for the most part we will be spinning our wheels. We’ll probably agree on little and disagree on much.

But there are three evidences of the indwelling Holy Spirit, around which all God’s children can come together. Surely none will find reason to opt out of these.

When the Lord is in your life and when He daily “lords it over” you, and when you are actively serving Him in a body of believers, then you should expect to see these three incredible gifts from the Holy Spirit making their presence known….

1. Joy in your heart.

2. Sweetness in your fellowship.

3. Passion in your service.

Call these fruits or gifts of the Spirit, whatever. But they are most definitely evidence that the Lord is in this place and flying His flag high.

Continue reading

When the cheering stops and it’s all over, what then?

Some years back Gene Smith wrote a book about the final years of Woodrow Wilson with the intriguing title, When the Cheering Stopped.

At the end of the First World War, Wilson was the most popular man on the planet. When his presidential entourage traveled to Europe for the Versailles Conference, crowds acclaimed him everywhere. He was hotter than the Beatles or Elvis ever were. That enthusiasm lasted about a year.

Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke on October 3, 1919, and was incapacitated for the remaining five years of his life. His party lost in the 1920 elections. And Congress refused to ratify membership in the League of Nations, a cause dear to Wilson’s heart.

His star had ascended and flared brightly, then had burned out and fallen to the earth. One wonders what Mr. Wilson thought about during all those months in which his mind was working but little else. He had much to regret and surely must have suffered great remorse.

The Second World War, it has often been noted, resulted from the botched up job the Allies did at Versailles and over the next few years.

The question for us here is “What does a leader do when he comes to the end, hands the reins to his successor, and leaves the field? When he/she looks back and thinks of the mistakes made, the people hurt, the jobs left undone, how does one handle this?”

Sean Payton, the Super-Bowl-winning coach of the New Orleans Saints football team and now coach of the Denver football team, had something to say on this.  His book  Home Team: Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life presented Payton’s take on rebuilding his team and recapturing the hearts of the WhoDat Nation after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The problem Coach Payton faced in the days leading up to the big game was how to motivate the team and keep them focused on the job at hand. Just getting to the Super Bowl is a dream most players never realize.

And that’s the problem, Payton realized. If his team was just glad to be there, they had lost their focus. There was still one more game to be played, the biggest game of their careers.

Here’s what happened.

Continue reading

Proof that we are lost without Jesus

The overwhelming proof of the lostness of mankind is that people rarely look up from the humdrum existence of their daily lives to ask, “Where is all this headed? What is out there? Where are we going?”

In a 1965 sermon reprinted in the May 2010 issue of Decision magazine, Billy Graham tells of the time when Robert Ingersoll, well-known atheist of the 19th century, was addressing an audience in a small town in New York. The orator forcefully laid out his doubts concerning a future judgement and the reality of hell.

At the conclusion, a drunk stood up in the back of the room, and said through slurred speech, “I sure hope you’re right, Brother Bob. I’m counting on that!”

Billy Graham commented, “Modern man does not like to think of God in terms of wrath, anger and judgment. He likes to make God according to his own ideas and give God the characteristics he wants Him to possess. Man wants to remake God to conform to his own wishful thinking, so that he can make himself comfortable in his sins.”

That struck a note with me. I had just been reading where someone did just that.

Continue reading

How to spot a fake

In the latter months of World War II, as the Allies were closing in on Germany, the Nazis developed a ruse that worked well for a while.

They would find German soldiers who spoke English well and dress them as Americans. They would arrange for them to be “lost” and to rejoin the Allied forces as they moved forward. Their task: to infiltrate the American troops and assassinate Generals Eisenhower and Patton.

In time, the good guys developed some tests for exposing the fakes. One German was cut down by the Americans when they saw how he was walking. He was ramrod straight whereas all our troops slouched when they walked.

Another group learned to address the soldier using “pig Latin.” If he was stymied by that, he was exposed.

And they developed questions. Two, I recall, were: Who is Betty Grable? and What position did Lou Gehrig play?

The answers were: movie star/pinup girl and first base for the Yankees. It was understood that every GI in the world would know this.

If you have been in the warfare against the forces of righteousness and the enemies of all that is good and holy for any period of time, you have come up against counterfeits and pretenders, fakes and shams.

The question is, how do you tell? And what should we do about them?

Across the world, untold millions of Christians cannot afford a Bible and have trouble feeding their families. And yet, here in this country, some preach that following Jesus is the road to great wealth. They drive expensive automobiles, live in million-dollar homes, and think nothing of investing a small fortune in clothing and jewelry. They give a pittance to missions overseas and when confronted, will drag out a few children they have assisted to silence critics.

Are they fakes? Absolutely.

Continue reading

Word wrangling: the preachers’ rodeo event

“Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers.” (II Timothy 2:14)

I’m not sure most of us preachers fully believe the scriptural command to avoid word-fights.

After all, aren’t some words worth wrangling over?

“Wrangling about words” conjures images of cowboys at the corral trying to tame a bucking theological term that won’t hold still.

It’s an interesting translation of the Greek logomacheo, with the logo meaning “word” and macheo referring to fighting.  “Wrangling” is as good a translation as any. Maybe “wrestling,” or simply “fighting over words.”  (Logomacheo is found only here in the New Testament, but the noun logomachia, found in I Timothy 6:4, is translated “disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth….”  A little free information there. )

Be that as it may, many of us preachers do love to argue about words.

Wonder why that is.

The Apostle Paul suggests the problem is our “depraved minds.”  Those old natures do enjoy a good dare, a challenge, a fight.

A pastor friend said, “When I was a young pastor, there is nothing I enjoyed more than arguing with another preacher about some issue or other.”  He grew out of it, thankfully.

Well, why shouldn’t we love a good fight over biblical words? Here are some reasons why Paul says it’s a bad idea….

–it’s useless. (2 Timothy 2:14).  That is, it settles nothing.

–it leads to the ruin of the hearers. (2:14 again)  The word “ruin” is literally catastrophe which means “destruction.”

–And, according to I Timothy 6:4-5, such wrangling leads to “envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction.”  Looks like some excellent reasons to avoid that corral and leave those mavericks to someone else.

A couple of current stories about word-wrangling which may (or may not) make the point….

Continue reading

The pastor should be the host of the church service

“…fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

That morning as I had breakfast in the hotel dining room, a tall blonde lady entered the room and called out, “Good morning, everyone.” I figured she had to be the hotel manager.

She was.

Terri told me later–as I sketched her–she had been on the job just two weeks. “Before, I managed a hotel in Opelika,” a few miles down the interstate.  I complimented her on the way she greeted people. And I told her something.

I work with pastors. And I end up reminding some that they are the manager of this enterprise. They are the chief greeter. The mood-setter.

The pastor is the actual worship leader. No matter who else wears that title.

A word to the pastors among us….

You have a unique opportunity as the undershepherd of the Lord’s flock.  You are the overseer (See Acts 20:28 and I Peter 5:2-3).

This means you are in charge.

Get out there and greet people.  Be confident.  You are the daddy in the room.  Act like it. Make sure needs are being met, that your staff is on the job and carrying out their assignments, and that visitors are greeted and assisted in finding their way.

I am not suggesting you act like a boss, but rather, that you show yourself as the chief servant, here to bless everyone, make sure each person is feeling a welcome in the house of the Lord, and seeing to any questions or difficulties.

A visiting evangelist pointed something out to me.

Continue reading

Why Christians make so much of Jesus

Jesus Christ was the First. The Most. The Best. The Last. The Everything.

Scripture ransacks the human language looking for superlatives enough to give mankind some kind of idea who this Person was who was born of a virgin, lived without sin, taught us of Heaven, and died in our place.  His resurrection and ascension forever secured His place in the history and thought and conversation of this small planet.

Earth has never seen another like Him.  He is unique.

Christianity and the Christian life are all about Jesus.

Regardless of what they tell you, the Christian faith is not about love.

It’s not about morals and doing good.

The Christian faith is not about helping one another and be ye kind and see you in church.

Love and morals and doing good, helping one another and showing kindness and attending worship are the byproducts of the Christian faith when done right.

But the Christian faith itself is all about one Person and One Person Only:  The Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the only Savior. He is the only sin-offering. He is the one and only mediator between God and man. He alone reveals God the Father to us.  His is the only Name by which we must be saved.

Jesus.  It’s all about Jesus.

The disciples said to Jesus, “Show us the Father and that’ll be enough for us!”  He answered, “Have I been so long with you and you still don’t know who I am?”  He paused for effect and said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” (That’s John 14:8-9.)

Continue reading

The layman speaks to the entire church. This could be scary.

The typical church member is out of his element when suddenly asked to speak to the whole church.

Maybe it’s a testimony or even a sermon.  Perhaps a report of some kind or a devotional.  The layperson who has never done this before the entire congregation–particularly one of several hundred people–is frequently frightened out of his wits.

At the conclusion of the worship service, Marlene said to me, “I’m sorry I took the entire service, Pastor. But the Lord was leading me.” Translation: She really got into her talk and couldn’t control it.

As a young pastor, I had been inviting church members to share testimonies in the morning worship service, something along the lines of 5-7 minutes.  That’s how it happened that Marlene taught her young pastor a lesson he never forgot.  In time, I learned to interview the individual and to keep hold of the microphone the entire time!

Since Marlene had not prepared adequately, once she got going, she couldn’t find a convenient stopping place. She kept on for a full 40 minutes.

No one should blame their failure to prepare on the Lord.

I see it happen all the time.  It’s almost embarrassing.

A man is given five minutes to present something in a formal program. He gets up and speaks and speaks. Fifteen minutes later, he says, “They told me I had five minutes to do this. So, in the time I have left….”

On the second row, his wife is trying to maintain her composure. But she’d like to crawl under the pew.

Here then is my list of Things non-clergy should know before they rise to speak in church….

One. Standing in front of the congregation causes one to lose all sense of time.  I know that’s true because preachers deal with it all the time.

Two. Prepare. A speaker needs to plan carefully and fully two important things: what to say and what not to say. The second is as important as the first. And  the only way to do the second–that is, prepare what not to say–is to practice several times. That way, he will see where the spots are where his mind wants to take a detour.  Preparation makes the difference.

Continue reading

Judge us by what our religion makes us do

Almost every week we hear of a killing in the Middle East.  Someone converts to Christianity and his family murders him.

Who would want to belong to such a religion?  Surely no one in his right mind.

Wednesday morning, January 1 of this year, an idiot drove his pickup truck down Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring a lot more.

What a way to welcome in 2025.

You know, what I wonder–and have ever since the terrorists took down the World Trade Center using our jetliners–is how some people think if they do murderous activities that somehow the rest of us are going to line up and say, “Oh yes, I think I would like to be a member of that religion!”  Not going to happen.

And then I find myself wondering why others of that religion who do not do those things are offended when we oppose their religion.  If it can be used legitimately to do such horrific things, why in the world would any sane person want to worship their god.  Not for me, thanks.

It is a truth that one’s religious faith causes one to act in certain ways.  And it is true that however one acts as a result of his faith should speak volumes about that religion and everyone else will be making their choices based on that.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.  Our Lord Jesus said that in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:16.

What you are speaks so loud, someone has said, that I cannot hear what you say.

Your works tell the story on you.

Continue reading