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A Message From Roy – No Greater Love

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down his life for a friend.” (John 15:13 NKJV) God knew from the beginning of time that we would

all sin. But because of His unconditional love for us, He gave us a way to overcome sin and death. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved.” (John 3:16-17 NKJV)
It is God’s great love for us that motivated Him to send Jesus to the cross to die for our sins. “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since by His blood He did all this for us as sinners, how much more will He do for us now that He has declared us not guilty?” (Romans 5:8-9) “God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (I John 4:9-10 TLB) Jesus came not only to save us from hell and give us eternal life, but He also came to give us abundant satisfying life here on earth.  ”I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b)

These Scriptures came to life for me at the end of High School, when a classmate invited me to a youth retreat in the mountains. After living in 14 foster homes and being a part of a dangerous gang I did not feel that God was a loving God. I thought He was a God of discipline and was always ready to swat me with His angry hand. However, at that retreat I heard how much God loved me by giving His only Son to save and forgive me of all my sins. That night in the cabin I heard a small voice saying within me, “Roy I love you.” These words “I love you” kept going over and over in my mind until I finally decided to get up and go out side. I went out into the forest and found a big tree. I knelt down; looked up and said, “God, are you there! If you can hear me I want to know your love. I want Jesus to come in and change my life, like you have with these other kids. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me and inviting me into your family. At that moment I felt as if a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. And I began to cry with joy. I was amazed that he had invited me to become a member of His family.

The problem was that my sin had been separating me from God’s love. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12 KJV) “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6 KJV) This, doing my own thing instead of God’s will, is called sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23 NKJV) Everyone fails to measure up to God’s perfect standards and that includes me. This failure is called sin. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a KJV) Wages are something I earn. Sins are the things I have done. The wage I have earned for my sin is death (eternal separation from God).

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him (God) a liar and His word is not in us.” (I John 1:8, 10 KJV) God is perfect and holy. He cannot permit sin to enter His presence. Our sin separates us from God. Thus, through sin we face eternal death. We must realize that we are all in the same boat. We have all sinned. And our sin separates us from God.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV) Eternal life is given to us as a free gift, but, like any gift, we must receive it to make it our own.“But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” (John 1:12 KJV) God offers us this free gift, but we must receive it. Now God says He will accept and acquit us and declares us “not guilty” of offending Him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in His kindness freely takes away our sins. For God sent Jesus Christ to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from His wrath. (Romans 3:22, 24-25a TLB)

“I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would, and that He was buried, and that three days afterwards He arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold.” (I Corinthians 15:3-4 TLB) If you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and that He died on the cross and shed His blood to cover your sins, that He was buried and rose from the grave on the third day to take victory over your sins, and that He has forgiven you of all your sins, then right now, you need to receive His free gift of eternal life.

“The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NKJV) Jesus promises that when we open the door to our heart and ask Him to come in, He will come in. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20 KJV) God does not lie. He must be obedient to His own Word. So we know that when we open the door to our heart and ask Jesus to enter, He must come in. You prayed, asking Jesus to come into your heart. So what did He do? Where is He right now? That’s right! He is in your heart; and because of that, you know that you have eternal life. “And what is it God has said? That He has given us eternal life; and that this life is in His Son. So whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have His Son, does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the Son of God so that you know you have eternal life.” (I John 5:11-13 TLB) Now, because of God’s love, we will live each day in God’s grace and unconditional love here on earth, as well as for all eternity

As believers you and I are now able to say, “I know Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

Alive in Christ,
Roy

MENTORS IN ACTION – Barry & Julie Lynch

We all have seen at one time or another, what happens in someone’s life when God gets a hold of a human heart and does a work that cannot be denied. Barry and Julie Lynch are ones that have had the opportunity to both witness and embody this kind of work because they said “yes” to Mentoring His Way, and “yes” to what the Holy Spirit would do in their lives.

It really is quite simple. It started with one man being mentored by another. Before long, the evidence was unmistakable: Barry’s walk with the Lord was getting stronger and everyone could see how God was using this study to change a husband, father, and man into a Christ-centered follower who surrenders daily to the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t long before his wife, once his high school sweetheart, took notice and wanted to be equally impacted in her own faith.

These two are not the super elite of our churches, mission fields, or movements. There is nothing that sets them apart as “out of the norm”. This is the beauty of it. Christ does the miraculous with the ordinary, with hearts that are simply willing to be changed by the power of Christ and the truth of His Word.

Before getting involved in CMN, Barry was growing in his relationship with Christ but he still had a lot of questions. In Barry’s own words he was “going it alone without the help and support of trustworthy men by his side”. That all changed when he began meeting with Roy and getting involved in a TriCord. Since that time, God has led him to use his gifts to lead a men’s mentor training class, and has personally mentored six men as well as referring many others to the ministry. Many of the men Barry mentored or introduced to Mentoring His Way have gone on to mentor other men, as well.

It goes without saying that the impact on Barry’s family was immense. Here’s how Julie describes it: “I first became interested in the mentor/discipleship study when I noticed what a huge impact it was having on my husband, Barry. His walk with God was getting stronger and I saw how God was using this study to change Barry’s life, which in turn, had such a positive impact on our marriage and our entire family.

When I was able to go through the study myself, God really placed it on my heart that my relationship with Him is all really so simple, basic even. God used the study to help me see that all I need can be found in Him, that He alone can fulfill all my inner desires. This realization helped me break my cycle of unrealistically relying on worldly influences to satisfy the emptiness I felt inside.”

For Barry and Julie, the Lord has used this ministry to open their eyes to see through an eternal perspective and has taught them to seek His will like never before. No doubt, it has been one of the most rewarding and life-changing things God has allowed them to be a part of. Now it is their joy to live as His disciples and use what they have been given to equip and build up the church, the body of Christ and to further his Kingdom.

“It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13

Why Walk Alone?

I don’t know why we do it. I don’t know why we choose at times to put one foot in front of the other and walk through the valleys of life completely alone, but we do. Sometimes, I know, it is unavoidable. There have been many seasons in my own life in which God has leaned in close, allowed every other human voice to drift away, and said, “Now you will listen to just me.” Those are precious, beautiful, even heart wrenching times, especially when God has needed to speak a difficult truth to me, or correct my course.

There are other times, though, that I just let myself drift toward isolation. It is hard work to stay connected, to be accountable to someone, to share honestly and openly the great struggles of being a Christian woman. We find ourselves asking questions in the quiet of our minds like “What will so-and-so think of me if I share that I am struggling?” “What will so-and-so say if I admit that I am not living quite like I know I need to?” So we sink back into the shadows of separation and stay silent. My sisters, this should not be.

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 we find a beautiful picture of what happens when two people are walking together: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” God’s desire is that we would walk together, help each other up when we fall, and stand at one another’s defense when the enemy is on attack.

One of the things I love about sticking close to a sister in the Lord is that she helps me to remember the faithfulness of my God. Sometimes, in the face of discouragement, tragedy, or obstacles, we can forget to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the reliability of His promises. As we link arms and hearts together as women, though, we get to give voice to courage for one another as we press on. It has always been God’s intention that God’s people would look backward and forward together on the journey and have hope.

In the book of Joshua, in the fourth chapter, we read about a time when the Lord parted the Jordan River so the people of Israel could safely cross over.  While the river was parted, the Lord told them to gather twelve stones from the center of the dry river and place them on the shore as a memorial for the people of Israel.

“Joshua said to the Israelites, ‘In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground’. For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and He kept it dry until you were all across, just as He did the Red Sea. He did this so that all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful and so that you might fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21-24 NLT)

I love that the whole community had a memorial that they set up as a reminder of God’s powerful work in their lives. I imagine that many times in the face of difficulties the Israelites would have glanced back together and said, “Remember: our God is able! Let’s press on!

On our own journeys we can do the same thing. We can open our eyes to the ways His love and protection are all around us, the way His Spirit is guiding us, and the way His Word speaks so clearly to our circumstances. We can train ourselves to be watchful for Him in the simple things, as well as the mighty ways He parts the seas and carries us through on dry ground. We can set our own stones up as memorials and choose to remember that the Lord is faithful.

I want to encourage you to give up on walking alone. Women, link arms with a sister or two who can help you up, who will pray for you, and who will look both behind and before you on the journey and encourage you to walk on. Men, do the same by building relationships with other brothers who will sharpen you.  Allow God to weave your heart and life with a few others as you seek to follow Jesus. Remember, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”

Why, then, would we walk alone?

Making Discipleship a Priority

People in the church lead busy lives.  In the midst of a busy world the church must press to prioritize those things which God has asked of us, and not get sidetracked.  One of the highest priorities of the church is discipleship.  Yet even though Jesus instructs us to make disciples in His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to us, it seems that discipleship is a lost art within the church.  The excuse is painfully clear:  Pastors and church leaders are already swamped.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Great, here’s yet another thing that I ought to be doing, but I’m overwhelmed as it is.”  I feel your pain.  As a solo church planter my plate is full, and so is yours.  Add some crisis inside the church and “issues” outside the church, plus a budget strain, time crunch with family, and I am ready to raise a white flag into the air to keep from tackling one more ministry task.  However, we cannot dismiss Jesus’ words to “make disciples of all nations.”  Let us be reminded that the command to make disciples is not a suggestion from Jesus, but a command.  Phrase Matthew 28:19 any way you like in Greek, and you’ll see that the central verb is make disciples, by which teaching and baptizing complement.  This is what Jesus intends us to do.  I want to share with you why and how you can make discipleship a priority in your church.

First, as I just said, Jesus commands us, and this is reason enough.  Therefore, we must make discipleship a priority; this isn’t open to discussion.  I personally know of few churches in the U.S. who have an active discipleship plan apart from my own church.  U.S. churches implement great programs, but not necessarily what Jesus commands as essential.  So, what’s going to give?  Let’s be honest, we can cut those things in our schedules which don’t have the same priority as discipleship.  I’m learning myself to let go of things and delegate other items that I simply have no business doing.  I firmly believe that if you put time into discipleship and pray for God to provide people to take things off of your plate, it will happen.  For me it’s been letting go of more administrative things and financial items, and trusting my part-time office administrator and financial director to do what they do best, and it’s working!

Second, if you are actively making disciples within the church, then you model it for your flock.  I meet personally with five guys on a weekly basis, utilizing the discipleship books from the Christian Mentor’s Network.  I spend roughly six to seven hours a week devoted to discipleship, and it is worth every minute.  Why?  Through it I’m pouring into the lives of men to help them walk more closely with Jesus and, at the same time, prepare them so that they will one day disciple other guys at our church.  I look forward to the day, in the not too distant future, when we’ll have sixteen of us fully trained to disciple more in our church, especially those who are beginning a new relationship with Jesus!  Additionally, by disciplining a handful of guys, I get to see who is truly faithful, available, and teachable (F.A.T.- a great acronym to use with guys – I’d probably phrase it differently for the ladies), basically those who have leadership qualifications.  Through discipleship, leaders within our church are being raised up.  So, out of my time with these guys, they become equipped, and I get to develop and see who is qualified and capable to be our future leaders.

Third, discipleship builds a strong church and the next generation.  There is so much talk about younger people leaving the church.  I believe that one reason why, is that we haven’t involved them in ministry nor have we built strong relationships with them.  Discipleship addresses both of these issues.  When we disciple/mentor them, we get to listen to them, encourage them, impart to them, build trust with them, and strengthen relationships with them.  This life-on-life approach is the way that Jesus modeled for his own disciples and commands us to do.  Also, training them so that they can disciple others involves them in the nitty-gritty of ministry.  We value young people and more importantly, God wants to use them mightily.  A church engaged in discipleship will train the next generation for hands-on ministry in order to reach the next generation for Christ.

So, what will it be in your life and in your church?  Will you make discipleship a top priority where you develop a plan to actually disciple?  If you’re a pastor or church leader, then it has to start with you.  You can be very involved in many “good” things, but Christ’s words are straight-forward: make disciples.  I encourage you to begin today by using the Christian Mentors Network materials and resources to begin a discipleship plan in your church.  A brief word of caution…  This is not another program, but rather a value and mindset that will be passed from person to person.  Please do not let busyness keep you from what God wants you to do.  In the end, by valuing and practicing discipleship, you obey Jesus, train people for ministry, and build His church by His means.