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The cross is the heart of all fellowship, and it is only through the cross that fellowship is deepened and matured. This will involve the frequent and painful crucifixion of self in all its forms--self-seeking, self-centeredness, self-righteousness--and the willingness to remain vulnerable in open fellowship with other Christians. (Called and Committed by David Watson)
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Insomniac's Reading & Play List
[Bob's Blog]
06/14/2009
By Towell, Bob
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Psalm 119:148
When I have trouble sleeping, which is pretty often, here are some of the things I do to get me through the watches of the night:
*Listen on my ipod to an oldie, but great Vineyard worship CD called Isn't He. The CD is from the ole acoustic worship series. I am sure I've listened it now since the late 1990's (when it was just a cassette tape) thousands of times.
*Read the Scriptures. Recently I am reading through a several hundred page commentary on Romans by N.T. Wright. (Great stuff but after an hour or two of reading it can make you pretty sleepy!)
*As the Psalm above states, "meditate on God's promises." It's amazing how much the Spirit can speak to you out a passage that you have memorized and meditate on in your mind repeatedly over and over again. Some of my favorites are Psalm 1, 23, 34, and of course, the Lord's Prayer.
sweet dreams.
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The Sermon on the Mount
[Bob's Blog]
06/02/2009
By Towell, Bob
As I read, meditate, study the Sermon on the Mount, I have a new and growing appreciation for Jesus' teaching on what it means to live within the Kingdom of God (God's Rule and Reign). Certainly the Sermon reflects the values and ethics of the Kingdom. (By the way, even though Matthew puts it in a sermon format that can be spoken in 15 minutes, scholars agree that it was a compilation of Jesus' teaching). It seems to me that anyone one who calls themselves a follower of Jesus Christ, must take the Sermon on the Mount seriously. By that I mean, a student of Jesus will read it often, meditate on it regularly and pray that by God's Spirit she might live it out daily and be the salt and light Jesus intends for us all to be.
Random thought: "You write what you read" someone said.
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The Fruit of Discipleship
[Bob's Blog]
04/23/2009
By Towell, Bob
I received an email from a friend I hadn't spoken to in over 20 years. My friend expressed his appreciation for me and the time he served as my "intern" in student ministry back in the 80's. This young man took a year off from college and from pursuing his law degree to be discipled and to assist us in discipling high school students. In an exchange of emails he wrote:
I am confident God used you to help introduce me to serving his children and I will always be thankful for the time you took to mentor me. By the way, I'm currently in a discipleship group at my church and have been for 3 years. God used the group leader, my pastor, to give me the courage to quit practicing law and start working with kids. I have also started a discipleship group with my high school guys. Isn't God incredible!!!
My email response to him was:
Awesome, brother! What a surprise to hear from you:) Thank you so much for taking the time to look me up and connect. Hearing from you brings back a lot of great memories and confirms my efforts over the years to "make disciples." My life verse is 2 Timothy 2:2 and hearing your story and what you're now doing encourages me in this regard.
God's timing and sense of humor cracks me up. I am in preparation this week to start a new series on discipleship this Sunday called Following the Jesus Way. Hearing from my friend has given me renewed commitment and passion for discipleship.
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Getting the Big Picture
[Bob's Blog]
04/16/2009
By Towell, Bob
The theological equivalent of supposing that the earth goes around the sun is the belief that the whole Christian truth is all about me and my salvation. I have read dozens of books and articles in the last few weeks on the topic of justification. Again and again the writers, from a variety of backgrounds, have assumed, taken it for granted, that the central question of all is, 'What must I do to be saved?' or (Luther's way of putting it), 'How can I find a gracious God?' or, 'How can I enter a right relationship with God?'
Now do not misunderstand me. Hold the angry or fearful reaction. Salvation is hugely important. Of course it is! Knowing God for oneself, as opposed to merely knowing or thinking about him, is at the heart of Christian living. But we are not the centre of the universe. God is not circling around us. We are circling around him.
God made humans for a purpose: not simply for themselves, not simply so that they could be in relationship with him, but that through them, as his image-bearers, he could bring his wise, glad, fruitful order to the world. And the closing scenes of scripture, in the book of Revelation, are not about human beings going off to heaven to be in a close and intimate relationship with God, but about heaven coming to earth. The intimate relationship with God which is indeed promised and celebrated in that great scene of the New Jerusalem issues at once in an outflowing, a further healing creativity, the river of the water of life flowing out from the city, and the tree of life springing up, with leaves that are for the healing of the nations. We are in orbit around God and his purposes, not the other way around. (Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision by N.T. Wright)
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Babies Dedicated, God's Good News, Children of the Taliban
[Bob's Blog]
04/15/2009
By Towell, Bob
Baby Dedication: It was a special time this past Easter Sunday celebrating and dedicating three precious children to the Lord. Hannah's prayer in 1 Samuel 1:27 took on extra special meaning for me as I had the opportunity to dedicate our only grandchild, Cora Danielle. Hannah presented Samuel in the Temple and said, "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now, I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he (Samuel) worshipped the LORD there.
Presenting the Gospel: I found it exciting and deeply humbling to present God's Good News (Romans 1:1-8) to so many guests on Easter Sunday. I was reminded of James Packer's thoughts about our dependence on the Spirit of God in any effort of evangelism: However clear and cogent we may be in presenting the gospel, we have no hope of convincing or converting anyone. Can you or I by our earnest talking break the power of Satan over a man's life? No. Can you or I give life to the spiritually dead? No. Can we hope to convince sinners of the truth of the gospel by patient explanation? No. Can we hope to move men to obey the gospel by any words of entreaty that we may utter? No. Our approach to evangelism is not realistic till we have faced this shattering fact, and let it make its proper impact on us."
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Community and the Cross
[Bob's Blog]
04/07/2009
By Towell, Bob
Christianity is all about relationships: with God and with others...The true basis for all fellowship is when two or more persons kneel at the foot of the Christ's cross, trusting only in his mercy and love. At that point of reality, we come to see how our sins crucified Christ and how they wound his body, the church, today.
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The Great Omission
[Bob's Blog]
04/03/2009
By Towell, Bob
The Christian church of the first centuries resulted from following this plan for church growth--a result hard to improve upon (Matthew 28:20). But in place of Christ's plan, historical drift has substituted "Make converts(to a particular 'faith and practice') and baptize them into church membership." This causes two great omissions from the Great Commission to stand out. Most important, we start by omitting the making of disciples and enrolling people as Christ's students, when we should let all else wait for that. Then we also omit, of necessity, the step of taking our converts through training that will bring them ever-increasingly to what Jesus directed ("teach them to obey everything I have commanded you").
These two great omissions are connected in practice into one whole. Not having made our converts disciples, it is impossible for us to teach them how to live as Christ lived and taught (Luke 14:26). That was not a part of the package, not what they converted to. When confronted with the example and teachings of Christ, the response today is less one of rebellion or rejection than one of puzzlement: How do we relate to these? What have they to do with us? Isn't this bait and switch? (Quotes taken from The Great Omission by Dallas Willard)
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Transformational Discipleship
[Bob's Blog]
04/03/2009
By Towell, Bob
It is time to commit to going deep with God and to believe that depth of personal transformation will bring fulfillment of the Great Commission. (Quote from The Complete Book of Discipleship by Bill Hull)
The Lord knows we've tried going superficial, shallow, syrupy, and seeker-sensitive and while it has draw a crowd in many places, it has not helped us fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples. I might quickly add that this is not just my opinion, but an unfortunate reality that is born out by the facts.
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Facing Reality with Jesus
[Bob's Blog]
04/01/2009
By Towell, Bob
I am preparing for our Study Group that will meet tonight. We are using David Watson's classic and blockbusting book on discipleship, Called and Committed. One of the chapters we are looking at tonight is Called to Community. David writes,
Jesus calls his disciples today to a life of realism, openness and honesty. Only when we take off our masks, when we are real with one another, when we walk in the light, as he is in the light, can we have true fellowship with him and each other....There is probably nothing which so shatters our fantasy dream world, helps us to come to terms with our true identity, and enables us to be real with each other, as genuine Christian community.
David goes on to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer(1906-1945), a German pastor, writer, and theologian, who spent the last two years of his life in a Nazis concentration camp before he was hanged in Flossenburg. David says some people join a fellowship with a fantasy dream about Christian community. About this, Bonhoeffer wrote:
God's grace speedily shatters such dreams. Just as surely God desires to lead us to a knowledge of genuine Christian fellowship, so surely must we be overwhelmed by a great disillusionment with others, with Christians in general, and, if we are fortunate, with ourselves...God is not a God of the emotions but the God of truth. Only that fellowship which faces such disillusionment, with all its unhappy and ugly aspects, begins to be what it should be in God's sight...When the morning mists of dreams vanish, then dawns the bright day of Christian fellowship."
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The Power of Relations in Discipleship
[Bob's Blog]
03/31/2009
By Towell, Bob
John Wesley (1703-1791), along with his brother Charles, formed a group with two other friends at Oxford in 1729. Among other things it was called the Holy Club. Below is some the reasons why these young men learned meeting together weekly was so important:
1. Because we are ignorant and short-sighted...and often unable to discern things that are excellent. But God reveals to one what is good for another: so that, in a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom.
2. Because we are lovers of ourselves...unwilling to see our own errors, therefore unlikely to amend them.
3. Because we are weak and irresolute...let go our integrity upon any opposition. But a band of friends who are like-minded, inspire us with courage and confidence.
4. Because we are lukewarm in religious duties. But a holy fellowship will kindle and keep alive a holy fervour.
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Christianity Without Discipleship
[Bob's Blog]
03/30/2009
By Towell, Bob
Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship, and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Below are quotes from Bill Hull's book, The Complete Book of Discipleship:
The church culture has largely accepted the idea of non-discipleship Christianity: People can be Christians without making any effort to submit and follow Christ.
1. The American gospel limits grace to forgiveness of sin. We place the focus of grace on conversion instead of on the whole journey. (See Eph. 2:8-9 including v. 10)
2. The American gospel separates justification form sanctification. Discipleship flourishes when we present the gospel as a seamless journey of transformation that begins with new life given by God and moves right along with the joy of following Christ every day.
3. The American gospel teaches that faith equals agreement with a set of religious facts. Believing in Jesus has no meaning if we don't follow him in discipleship. Believing without discipleship isn't believing, it's agreeing to a set of facts about a religious figure.
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Paul's Response to the Thorn in the Flesh
[Bob's Blog]
03/19/2009
By Towell, Bob
For several weeks now we've been teaching through 2 Corinthians in a series I've called Real People, Real LIves, Real Spirituality. Recently we came to the famous passage in chapter 12 where the Apostle Paul writes about his infamous "thorn in the flesh."
A friend afterwards sent me an email with the following comments and question:
As we were together this morning, it occurred to me, at some point [i.e. after 3 requests], it appears Paul "got" his answer about his "thorn" and made a definitive decision to quit asking and accept the situation.
Is that how you see things? Just wondering vs. a person persevering (patience?) in continuing to ask for something God has answered in the negative. Its my belief that God ALWAYS answers prayer with a "Yes," "No," or "Not Now."
My answer:
I think that Paul rightfully kept pleading for the Lord to remove the thorn and would have kept praying/believing for the Lord to remove it. Why not? We are in the midst of spiritual warfare and unless given specific directions or revelation otherwise, we must continue to resist the enemy and believe that all things are possible with the Lord. But the Lord spoke to Paul clearly that even though this thorn in the flesh was from Satan, it was something the Lord would not remove, but that he would give him grace to deal with it. Some might even say this was a lack of faith on Paul's part. Paul didn't think so. Paul understood God's answer in this case to be, "No." However, what I don't think I said this morning, is that we should not assume that the answer will always be, "No." Unless, of course, we are confident that the Lord has spoken a clear, "No."
In Paul's case, the Lord revealed to him that he was going to use this thorn to keep Paul from becoming conceited because of the "surpassingly great revelations" he had received. What a deal! The visions and the thorn! Paul paid a huge price as a recipient of these glorious visions and revelations. Of course, I think he would be quick to add that, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth compared with the glory we that will be revealed in us." I am sure he had a pretty good idea of what he was talking about esp. in light of the visions and revelations he had received while in the "third heaven."
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A.D. 2009: The Year of Our Lord
[Bob's Blog]
01/08/2009
By Towell, Bob
This year is going to bring many crises, challenges and opportunities. It already has! People are going to be forced to make painful and profound choices this year. Naive optimism believes "things" will change and get better. Biblical hope believes God is greater than the circumstances and that his promises are true. True hope trusts God with the future, and therefore is able to have a joy that sees God working his purposes even in the present.
I was thinking, actually worrying, about things this morning. I was worrying about how the things that have already happened or that might happen would effect me, my family members, my friends, our fellowship. I pushed through the worry that was choking off my joy and chose to pick up the Bible and read the scheduled New Testament reading for today. Actually I missed yesterday's reading, so I read both yesterday and today's reading. As a fellowship we've declared this is the Year of the Bible and were going to read through the New Testament together.
I read in Matthew 6 where Jesus said things like,
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where
thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
You cannot serve both God and Money.
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; about your body; what you
will wear.
But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
I believe this year, above everything else that happens, will be the Year of the Lord Jesus. This will not just be the "Year of the Bible" because local churches decided to make it their theme. This will be the "Year of the Lord Jesus" because God is going to bring people, nations, churches, families to a crossroads, to a place of decision. This will be a year filled with "decide- this-day-whom-you-will-serve" moments. I read that recently ole' Bob Dylan performed one of 45 or 50 concerts he has given over the years in New York City. He finished the concert with his song, "You Gotta Serve Somebody".
I heard Bert Wagonner, national director of the Vineyard Community of Churches, say this week, "Materialism is the strongest god in America opposing the Lordship of Jesus Christ." Jesus said clearly, "You can't serve God and Money at the same time." We Americans don't really believe that. Many Americans believe that God and Money are actually the same thing. Many have actually come to believe that living for God is just a way to "be blessed" or to get Money.
I was impressed earlier this week, when in the scheduled reading in Matthew 4, that Jesus called on the sons of Zebedee to follow him. It says, "They were in a boat with their father, Zebdee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him" (Matthew 4:21-22). I don't know all the implications that must have had for those two young men, but I know it was a radical decision.
By God's grace, let's not go through this year reacting to circumstances with shock, surprise, anxiety, anger, and doubt. Let's not go through this year complaining and blaming others. But let's choose to make this the Year of the Lord Jesus. Let's commit to follow him in all that we do. Let's recognize for those who believe that "now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). A.D. 2009: The Year of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Have a courageous and brave New Year!
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Gracious from Costa Rica
[Bob's Blog]
08/13/2008
By Towell, Bob
Gracias from Costa Rica
Here's a picture and letter of thanks (See Below) from Roseibel Calvo, the school counselor and director of the Seeds of Love ministry in Costa Rica. We painted the back of the school building, donated the play ground equipment, installed it and laid grass sod on the playground.
Dear Church of Kingwood:
Receive from the ministry of Semillas de Amor, of Vina Comunidad de Amor y Restauracon, an immense gratitude for your offering of love.
At school San Jeronimo, Desmparados, the boys, girls, their families, and the administrator-teaching staff, are sorprise for your work and donation provided. I ask myself...why come from so far away to show your affection, sacrificing vacations, families, pockets, and other things?
Truly it's through your actions that the gospel of JesusChrist reach people who do not understand differently. Your kindness, commitment and passion left footprints in the hearts of many children, as well as many people at Torremolinos.
We pray for you in thanksgiving to the Lord, and we appreciate your prays for the ministry and the vision to go ahead with the Great Commission...
In the Love of the Lord,
Rosibel Calvo
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