AND - she told us that, really, she didn't like us coming into the front area.  Stay downstairs.  Keeps things. . .  clean.

Over the years I came they left a huge section of the house unused.  Didn't want it marred or soiled.  So covered it up and stayed out.  A real shame B a beautiful home, but essentially lived in the basement.  I just couldn't understand it.  So much house.  But they boxed themselves in.  

So much more that could be.  Unexplored space and potential.

Not just something with Gena and her house.

We all encounter it somewhere along the way.

Including in our Christian life.

This Fall we're exploring some of the contours of Christian living.

We're exploring what it is to be a disciple -- a full-blown, mature, devoted follower and servant of Jesus Christ.

You know these little sticky name tag things - Hello, my name is. . . .

In our lives we try to live and talk and behave in a way that functions as a sort of Hello my name is. . . . .  Christian.

But what does that mean?

If you've ever been to an AA meeting, or some other 12 step recovery group, there are introductions made which go something like this

I would stand up and say, Hi, I'm Ken and I'm an alcoholic.

And all those there would respond, Hi, Ken.

Well, as we're gathered here, I stand up and say, Hi, I'm Ken and I'm a Christian. To which you all respond. . . . .  

Now there is a reason why they do this in AA. They've got a very clear understanding of what it means to be an alcoholic, to be caught in that destructive chemical dependency. And they keep reminding themselves of it so that they don't become complacent or gloss it over.

I think sometimes we need to be reminded of what it is to be called a Christian. What do we mean when we say that?

What is it to be a disciple of Jesus?

Self-discipline. That means taking control of your life, reining it in if needed, being very aware, deliberate, intentional about what you are doing.

Intentional - in business we're intentional about getting ahead. We work a plan to become a better golfer or musician or coach or . . . . whatever. We know that improvement doesn't just happen. So we become intentional.

Interesting, isn't it, that in spite of all that, sometimes we forget to be deliberate and intentional about growth and development in our Christian living.

Oh, but we say B being a Christian disciple is a natural out-growth of being in love with Jesus. I gave my heart to Him. I love Him. So being a disciple is going to simply follow. It'll just be.

Well. . . . . .

Maybe. . . . .

In his book, Bold Love Dan Allender describes a conversation with a fellow while on a plane:

"When I told him I was on my way to address several hundred people on the topic of love, he peered over his bifocals and replied, "How nice.  Love, huh? Well, I guess we all need to be reminded of the importance of love. " 

"Our discussion soon centered around what he viewed as the driving purpose in his life.  He told me that what pleased him most about his grown children was their tenacity in pursuing education, careers and success.  They had learned well from their father, and he was proud.  He also told me that his three children had experienced five divorces and that he had grandchildren who he had not seen for five years due to the unhappy marital endings.  His own two divorces seemed to trouble him little.  

"I asked him how important it was to teach his children to love and remain committed to people.  He said, 'I never taught my children about love.  I thought they would naturally pick up those things. ' Love, he told me, was noble and natural, as basic to life as breathing.  Then he added, 'I taught my children to love by example, not by word.  I hope that was enough. '" 

Allender concludes: "It was difficult to tell him that it was not enough. "It wasn't enough because love isn't natural to human beings.  

This man's relational carnage ? seven divorces among four people in two generations ? are evidence of that fact.

It takes lots of work.

Intentional, disciplined, focused work.

Including our life of love for Jesus Christ.

Intentional in the way we pray for the Holy Spirit to renew and grow us, to mature us and develop us into love-filled, whole disciples.

Intentional B desiring to grow in our God-honouring love and life; striving to ensure that our disciple living doesn't leave vast areas untouched and unexplored, like Gena's house.

Discipleship.

Last time we talked about the need to be together as disciples.

We're going to go the next step, climb to the next level tonight.

Please read with me -- Deuteronomy 6. 4-9p. 206.

You that are disciples students, followers, servants. . . . . .

. . . .  of Jesus.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

This same theme is picked up by Jesus in the words of Mark 12. 28ff:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. . . . .

Heart, soul, mind, strength B Love God with these.

Love God B notice that's a commandment for disciples!

Not a request.

Not an optional extra, like ordering a CD player for your car. Nice if you can afford it, but otherwise you'll still get quite comfortably from A to B.

God commands, demands, directs this from His disciples.

Commanded love -- How different from the whimpy, no-backbone, whatever comes mush we call falling in love.

Love isn't something that you fall into.  As someone said, you fall into holes filled with mud and ditches, not into love.  It's a curious expression, "to fall into love. " 

an out of control experience.  People who have lost control of their lives

often have nightmares of falling.

Love is a deliberate action of the will.  As Gary Smalley puts it in his book, love is a decision.

To love means deliberately to turn ourselves toward another, to give away something of yourself to someone else without regard for return.  In the Bible, love is described in self-sacrificing terms:

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. "

Couples getting married intentionally decide and commit, for better or worse, in sickness and health to stick it out, loyalty, together, devoted and working for each other.

Love of God: turning yourself towards God, giving away something of yourself to God without regard for return, sacrificing yourself for God.

Love the Lord your God, says Jesus.

Intentional. Controlled. Deliberate. Committed.

Do it with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mk 12. 30)

Why, are all four things -- heart, soul, mind, and strength mentioned?

Very simply put - these 4 are mentioned for emphasis. They show that the whole person is involved in this love thing.

You don't control your Christian discipleship strictly by your emotions.  Following Jesus is not filled up only with mystical moments. Living as a disciple is not something to be lived with only the intellect. Authentic faith is more than simply getting all busy with various ministry projects.

We are to love God ? 

• with the feeling centre of us, the place of passion ? the heart

• and with the mystical part of us ? the part that in the end has

• the power of the "will" and the power of life and death within us, the soul.

• and with the rational and thoughtful part of us ? the mind

• and with the part of us that wants to get out and do something.

Heart, soul, mind, strength.

The hard part is keeping them together.

If you had to choose one word to describe life today, what would it be?

The word I would choose would be. . . . . . . .

fractured.

We live in a busted up, splintered, divided world.

Countries, our own included, seem to come apart at the seams.

Families are so busy, going here and there, that they hardly see each other.

Companies hire and fire B who works 35 years for the same place anymore?

Neighborhoods B how many people on your street do you really know?

We get so stressed and pushed to the edge that we end up giving a bit of ourselves here and a bit there. We don't even dare to much go full bore for anything anymore. Simply haven't got it. So we hold back and deal ourselves out very cautiously, carefully.

Top that off with attacks of the evil One who tries to come in and tear us apart:

• with misplaced desires that seek to overwhelm us

• evil spirits that whisper in our souls

• critical thoughts that misguide us

• a sense of tiredness that, No, we CAN'T do anymore!

Heart, soul, mind and strength.

We've each got them all. And altogether giving everything to Jesus.

Who gave everything - his heart, soul, mind and strength B

every bit of it 

for us.

His passion to bring the lost home to the Heavenly Father. Causing Him to cry at the death of a friend; to weep at the hardness of some of His listeners.

His soul that suffered under the hellish attacks of Satan while He hung on the cross.

His mind which He used to debate the Pharisees and to teach His first disciples.

His strength that was given, till everything was spent; till naked, bleeding, dying on the cross, Jesus looked to heaven and said - >It is finished. '

For us!!

How that will look is going to be different for each of us.

Because God made each of us unique.

Heart - Weeping as we sing a love song to the Lord. Crying in prayer, deeply feeling another's prayer. Raising hands in joy during worship.

Soul - Sensing the presence of the Spirit in deeply mystical ways. Almost being able to reach out in a hushed moment and touch the Lord. Deep.

Mind - weaving together strands of scriptural teaching into one whole; following a faith statement through to its logical conclusion.

Strength - Getting out onto the street to get things done for Jesus.

Please tell me -

Which of those is most important?

Trick question, right?

They ALL matter.

The beautiful part is that our Lord who created the world with such amazing variety, the beauty and variety that we see painted all around us in the splendour of the seasonal colours across the Ottawa Valley, created wonderful variety among His people.

Some of us are more expressive emotionally.

Some can guide us in sensing the move of the Spirit.

Some of us are gifted to be keen thinkers.

Some are salt of the earth hard workers for Jesus.

And all matter. All fit. All of equal value to Jesus.

And within each of us B

My brother, my sister, let's not shut down emotions, or come down on others who wish to express their heart openly for Jesus.

Let's not suppress inner whisperings when we sense that we're in a holy space, and write it off as weird, kooky hocus pocus moments.

Let's make room for careful thinking, and hard mental work.

And make sure that we all spend some time getting callouses for the Lord.

All parts of the whole B deliberately prayed for, fostered, exercised and grown

To the glory of God.