The Key Word is Surrender

In his book, "The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority", Adrian Rogers tells this story: 

As Josef and I rode in his car, I said, “Josef, tell me about American Christianity.” He said, “Adrian, I had rather not.”

I said, “No, I want to know.”

“Well, Adrian, since you have asked me, I’ll tell you. The key word in American Christianity is commitment.”

I said, “That’s good, isn’t it, Josef?”

“No, it is not. As a matter of fact, the word commitment did not come into great usage in the English language until about the 1960s. In Romania, we do not even have a word to translate the English word ‘commitment.’ If you were to use commitment in your message tonight, I would not have a proper word to translate it with.”

Josef continued, “When a new word comes into usage, it generally pushes an old word out. I began to study and found the old word that commitment replaced. Adrian, the old word that is no longer in vogue in America is the word surrender.”

“Josef,” I asked, “what is the difference between commitment and surrender?”

He said, “When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing you commit to. One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to it. But surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don’t tell that person what you are committed to. You simply surrender and do as you are told.

“Americans love commitment, because they are still in control. But the key word is surrender. We are to be slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true.” And then the angel left.” (Luke 1:38 NLT)

Mary responds to the declaration of the angel with words of surrender. These are not words of commitment to do anything, they are words with which she receives what the Lord indicates that He wants to do. I believe that I have often given the Lord commitment when He was asking for surrender. Commitment is better than lack of commitment and it can take a person a distance, but only complete surrender to the will of God takes me to all of the places that God wants to take me. Mary surrendered. This is an example for me to follow. 

Dealing with Hard Soil

“For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.” (Jeremiah 4:3 ESV)

“The seed that fell on the hard path represents those who hear the message, but then the Devil comes and steals it away and prevents them from believing and being saved.” (Luke 8:12 NLT)

“The thorny ground represents those who hear and accept the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.” (Luke 8:14 NLT)

Jesus tells the parable of the sower from the perspective of the soils. It goes to the response of each individual heart to the word of God when it is sown. Jeremiah speaks more to the preparation of the soil so that the word can be sown. In Jeremiah, God commands that the hard soil (fallow ground) be plowed and broken up so that seed can be received. It also gives a warning against sowing where there are already thorns. Applying that second part to Jesus' parable might mean to not continue to sow seeds in a person struggling with the cares and pleasures of this life. Better to challenge that person on the areas that are choking the life out of the already sown seed than to continue to sow more seed.

The comparison of Jeremiah with the parable of the soils, helps me to see that I do not need to accept the state of soil in a persons heart as permanent. Things can change and as I bear faithful witness to Christ and sow His word, I can also work to plow up the hard soil and help remove the thorn bushes.

Jesus Still Surprises

“And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.””(Luke 5:5 ESV)

How quickly Peter and the other fishermen obey Jesus, even though what He said surprised them. They were the experts in this. Fishing was their livelihood; Jesus would make fishing for men their life. They "knew" that letting down their nets again should not give them a different result from the one they had experienced all night, but Jesus surprised (maybe shocked is the better word) them with the abundant catch.

Jesus is surprising.

“And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”” (Mark 7:37 ESV)

When was the last time you were astonished beyond measure by the works of Jesus? Does He continue to surprise you or has your walk with Him become just a little bit too predictable? Many years ago God prompted me to write this prayer in my Bible: "Lord, please always keep me in the deep water, over my head." I could fill volumes with the ways He has answered this prayer in my own life.

Two weeks ago, I walked into a series of meetings thinking that I would be chosen for a new leadership role. I was surprised (but surprisingly not disappointed) when another was chosen. I was astonished when I was invited to consider another, better fitting role - one that I had not even considered. I was astonished. I was surprised. I let down the net and pulled up the unexpected, because that's just what life is like in the deep water.

Why Jesus Chose Simple Men (Training of the Twelve, Chapter 4, part 3)

Jesus started with fishermen, tax collectors, and former revolutionaries. They were the best people He found to work with. Others were too proud to become disciples and because of that, they excluded themselves from the high honor of apostleship. The civil and religious leaders boasted in their unbelief. The citizens of Jerusalem were interested for a moment in the zealous young man who purged the temple with a whip, but their faith was superficial. Therefore Jesus would not entrust Himself to them; He knew what was in them.  There were a few sincere sympathizers with high positions, but they did not have the level of commitment needed to become apostles. Nicodemus was barely able to speak a timid word on Christ’s behalf and Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple because of his fear of the Jewish leaders. These were sharp people who did not have the stuff that was needed from missionaries of the cross. People so fettered by social ties and political connections and so enslaved by fear would not become the people to take the gospel to the world. So Jesus had to fall back on the rustic, but simple, sincere and energetic men of Galilee. And He was quite content with His choice and sincerely thanked His Father for giving Him these men. He would have gladly taken men of learning, rank, wealth, and refinement if they would lay those things down for His service, but since none seemed to be available, He too these humble men. He preferred devoted men with no advantage to undevoted men with every advantage. Their station in life really did not matter as long as they were spiritually qualified for the work to which they were called. The most telling thing about a man is not what is on the outside, but what is within. John Bunyan was a man of low birth, low occupation, and up until His conversion, low habits. But by nature, he was a genius and by grace a man of God. The gospels are not autobiographical and the apostles were not the central characters in the story. Christ was their hero; and their sole desire was to tell what they knew about Him. They looked at the Sun of Righteousness and in His radiance, they lost sight of everything and everyone else.

Insights from Some of the Lesser Known Apostles (Training of the 12, chapter 4, Part 2)

What kind of people made up the newly chosen apostolic band? What we know about these men varies greatly, but it can be helpful to place them in three groups based on the amount of data we have. The first group is most familiar to us and has the greatest prominence in the biblical narrative: Simon Peter: The man of rock. Andrew: Peter's brother. James and John: Sons of Zebedee, and sons of thunder. The second group: Philip The earnest inquirer.  Bartholomew or Nathanael: The Israelite of integrity. Thomas: The Twin. Matthew: The Tax Collector The third group: James (the son) of Alphaeus Judas son of James (also called Thaddaeus) Simon The Zealot. Judas, the man of Kerioth: The Traitor. We will become very well acquainted with the first group of these men as we read through the gospels. And there are a few disciples that we know almost nothing about, but here are few observations about some of the lesser known disciples: Thomas, called “The Twin” is a warm hearted person with a melancholy temperament. He is ready to die with his Lord, but slow to believe in His resurrection.  Judas Iscariot is the man who betrayed Jesus.  The presence of a man capable of treachery among the elect disciples is a mystery that we will not go into now. We just point out that he seems to have been the only one among the twelve who was not a Galilean. Simon the Zealot was part the group that rose in rebellion under Judas some twenty years before Christ's ministry began, when Judea and Samaria were brought under the direct government of Rome, and the census of the population was taken with a view to subsequent taxation. What an amazing phenomenon to see this ex-zealot among the disciples of Jesus!  No two men could differ more widely in their spirit, ends, and means, than Judas of Galilee and Jesus of Nazareth. The one was a political malcontent; the other would have the conquered submit to the yoke of oppression, and give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar. Simon aimed at restoring the kingdom to Israel, adopting for his watchword, "We have no Lord or Master but God." Jesus aimed at founding a kingdom not national, but universal, not "of this world," but spiritual. The means employed by them were as diverse as their results. The Zealots had used the carnal weapons of war, the sword and the dagger; while Jesus relied solely on the gentle but omnipotent force of truth.  An ex-zealot was not a safe man to make an apostle because he might bring Jesus and His followers under political suspicion. But the Author of our faith was willing to take that risk. He expected to gain many disciples from the dangerous classes as well as from the despised. So He wanted have them to represented among the twelve. Matthew was a tax collector, working for the Roman oppressors. Such people were considered traitors to the nation of Israel. It gives one a pleasant surprise to think of Simon the zealot and Matthew the tax collector, men coming from so opposite ends of the political spectrum, meeting together in close fellowship in the little band of twelve. The extremes meet in these two disciples  -- the tax-gatherer and the tax-hater: the unpatriotic Jew, who degraded himself by becoming a   servant of the alien ruler; and the Jewish patriot, who chafed under the foreign yoke, and longed   for emancipation. This union of opposites was not accidental, but was designed by Jesus as a prophecy of the future. He wanted the twelve to be the church in miniature form; and therefore He chose them so as to intimate that, as among them distinctions of tax collector and zealot were unknown, so in the church of the future there should be neither Greek nor Jew, bond nor free, but only Christ.

Some Thoughts on Jesus' Selection of the Twelve - Training of the Twelve Chapter 4 (part 1)

My ongoing paraphrase of the AB Bruce classic: The Training of the Twelve

The selection of the twelve from the broader band of disciples is an important turning point in the Gospels. It divides the ministry of Jesus into two parts that are equal in duration, but unequal in terms of importance. In the earlier period, Jesus was the laborer. For the most part, He labored single-handedly and his miracles were confined to a limited area. His teaching was elementary and consisted of foundational truth about the coming Kingdom.

By the time the twelve were chosen, the work of the Kingdom had grown to such a point that it required a greater division of labor. Jesus’ teaching was also beginning to be deeper and more challenging. His ministry was taking on a broader scope. The selection of this small number of people to be His close and constant companions had become a necessity to Christ because of the fruitfulness of the ministry. His followers had become so numerous that they impeded his movements.

It was starting to become impossible for everyone who believed in Him to follow Him everywhere, so Jesus decided that He would select certain men who would be with Him at all times and in all places. They would be His travelling companions, witnessing all His work and serving alongside Him. And so as Mark puts it, Jesus called The Twelve that they would be with Him.

Of course, these twelve were to be more than travelling companions. They became His students and fellow laborers. Eventually they would be His chosen agents for the advance of the Gospel throughout the whole earth. Indeed, from this time forward, the twelve entered into a regular apprenticeship. Here they would learn what they should be, do, believe, and teach, as His witnesses and ambassadors to the world. From this point forward, the training of these men was to be a constant and prominent part of Christ's personal work.

A Warning from Current Ministry Scandals (and, more importantly from Jesus)

“Don’t ever let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are on the same level as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your spiritual Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Master,’ for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:7–12 NLT)

““But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their family, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will already know me,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness and will never again remember their sins.””(Jeremiah 31:33–34 NLT)

The abolition of ranks among God’s people (Matt. 23:8–11) echoes one of the promises concerning Jeremiah’s new covenant (Jer. 31:33–34).  - Craig Blomberg, “Matthew,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament

Usually when the religious leaders addressed Jesus, they called Him Rabbi and they spoke of His followers as “Your disciples”. The Rabbi with his disciples was a cultural form easily recognized in the time of Jesus. Jesus walked and taught as many of the Rabbis did during His time. This was a normal course of things and the inner circle would expect to become rabbis themselves with their own followers. They were following, learning from Jesus and becoming like Him. Jesus had often spoken of the coming Kingdom and the disciples often thought about their place in it. Then Jesus gave this teaching. The disciples were not to become Rabbis or Masters or take any title. They would be part of a brotherhood in which all were equal. To the extent that they or anyone else exercised leadership it would be as a servant. The greatest leader, Jesus said, must be a servant of all.

Today two of my favorite bloggers - Dave Kraft and TJ Addington  wrote about two different situations (is scandal too strong a word?) regarding two different Christian leaders from two different eras. One of them, Bill Gothard has resigned from his leadership position. The other, Mark Driscoll has not, but there have been changes made in the leadership structure of Mars Hill Church.

I am not going to write about those situations here other than to make this one point: Ministries built around the personality of a strong leader are unbiblical and precarious. As Addington says, “We should be disciples of no man, but Jesus alone”.

When Paul saw this beginning to happen in the Corinthian Church, he corrected it immediately, “Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” Can Christ be divided into pieces? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:12–13 NLT)

In Matthew 28:18-20 we are called to engage in the wonderful process of discipling all nations, and Jesus is our model, but there is a subtle, and important difference: we are to make disciples, not of ourselves, but of Jesus. We are no longer to be called rabbi. If you find yourself in a ministry centered on a strong leader’s personality, I urge you to run, unless the leader’s Name is Jesus.

Hereis TJ Addington’s post. Hereis Dave Kraft’s post.